Hidden Agendas ...


Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Commuting to office in Cycle in Bangalore!

is easier than I thought !!





Okay, here are the facts:


The distance I commute in cycle: little more than 15 Kilo Meters (one way).


Time I take: 40 Minutes (+/- 3-4 minutes)


I commute mostly during rush hours, I leave at around 8:30 -9.00 AM in the morning, leave at around 7:30 - 8 PM in the evening.


Root I take : Srinagar / Hanumanthanagar -> Ashoka Pillar -> Diary Circle -> Koramangala -> Inner Ring Road -> Old Airport Road.


How long I've been cycling to office: last 12 days.


What bike do I have: Trek 4300, It's a nice mountain bike.


Where did I buy the cycle?: From Bums On The Saddle, the coolest bicycling shop in Bangalore!



Some comparison:


I've commuted on Motor bike, Public buses and now, a cycle.


Time taken to commute on motor bike is around 40-45 minutes for 15 kms, but I am at the mercy of traffic. Time taken on bus: more than an hour and 15 minutes. Again, I am at the mercy of BMTC. Not every time I get a bus as soon as I go to bus stand.


On cycle, it's always 40 minutes +/- 3 minutes. Always. Yes, Yes, I do jump traffic signals, ride on footpaths. But I try my best to be not a nuisance to public and traffic.



How is the experience so far? Absolutely FUN! Feels like I've gone back in time to my high school days :-)



Some interesting stuff that happened:


I went through McDonald's "Drive-Thru" on my cycle!! The guy at the counter was kinda shocked to see me on cycle :-)


An old lady and a cute kiddo gave me "Thumbs Up" !! Awesome!


Almost fell from bike when I jumped from footpath to Road more than one feet deep :-)


Did more than 50 Kilo Meters on a Sunday, didn't feel tired at all ...



Okay, Here is what I feel:


Cycling around Bangalore in heavy traffic is not really tough or dangerous. Just keep some common sense, and you will be fine. Things like a good helmet, hand-gloves and a air mask/filter are a must.




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5 Comments:

Blogger perplexed said...

cool.. i wish more and more people would do this.. I walk to college.. only because its is so freakin close but cycling sounds like a lot of fun... saves the planet and all that too :) way to go!!! :)

6:46 PM  
Blogger **Sri Harsha** said...

You study @ BMSCE ?

7:28 PM  
Blogger Arunima said...

that's amazing.

2:44 PM  
Blogger shanthi said...

i am a journalist and doing a story on cyclers. i would like to profile u. can u plz get back to me at shanthi1984@gmail.com

4:54 PM  
Blogger Shruti SriHarsha said...

Hi Harsha, Bloghopped and commenting for 2 reasons...
1) Sri Harsha is my Husband's name and its cos of the name , I was curious to check what your posts' like....
2) My special interest which is the cycle. Myself and H were planning to buy and check some of the good cycles...One of our very good fren also travels to work in his cycle and shares a great experience with us.

Overall, nice read and keep it up!!!!

4:08 AM  

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