By Shailendree Wickrama Adittiya
The Sri Lanka Academy of Young Scientists (SLAYS) on Sunday (12) launched an initiative to promote cycling to work, where a talk by cycle and sustainability advocate Yasas Hewage was followed by a cycling session in Colombo.
Cycle to Work is a programme by SLAYS, which is a group of early career scientists whose membership draws from all disciplines. SLAYS President Dr. Thilini A. Perera said the initiative was launched with the intention of promoting cycling to work whenever possible, wherever possible.
She said the session with Hewage, titled “#ZeroFuel Sri Lanka: Time to ride bicycles”, was extremely important and informative. “He taught us what we needed to know about cycling and the basics. Even though we knew how to cycle, we were a bit reluctant to go out and cycle on the road because of the challenges we thought we might encounter.”
However, the cycling session proved to be enjoyable and encouraged more SLAYS members to take up cycling to work. “I’m inviting all young people, whoever can, to ride to work, because there are a lot of benefits, on one hand, and on the other, due to the situation of the country, it has become sort of a necessity these days,” Dr. Perera said.
She explained that the challenging times we are currently going through have pushed people to think out of the box and consider things they would have never thought of before. One of these is cycling to work, which Dr. Perera said she has never considered before, perhaps due to the comfort of other modes of transport or because of insufficient infrastructure.
However, now, people have been pushed to a corner and the long fuel lines have made many take up cycling to work.
“On the other hand, as scientists, we always try to do things to make the world a little better,” she said, adding: “We are the academy of young scientists, and as young scientists, we try to always do research and work on reducing emissions, greenhouse gases, and carbon footprint, and make everything economically viable, so this is a fantastic option where you don’t have to really burn fuel or spend a lot of money.”
She went on to say that, despite this, they had never thought of cycling to work, even though cycling is fantastic for the environment, fantastic for the economy and fantastic for one’s physical health. “As young scientists, we thought, if not us, who else?” Dr. Perera added.
She promoted cycling to work, especially for young people, saying it is good for one’s health. Various tips and resources on cycling and selecting the right bicycle are available on the SLAYS Facebook page as well as Yasas Hewage’s social media channels.
While talking about the importance and benefits of cycling to work, Dr. Perera also looked at the practical elements needed to sustain this initiative.
“There are a lot of challenges to cyclists, especially when you ride to work,” she said, mentioning that designated cycle lanes are needed.
“The main challenge is, once you get to your work, you need a place to park your bike where it won’t get wet if it rains or won’t get damaged by the sun,” the SLAY President said, adding that another issue is the need for washing facilities in workplaces and flexible attire.
“On top of it, cycles are now not available in Sri Lanka. Now is the time, if they were available, for people to buy them. This is the time to promote it,” she said, adding that bicycles should be available at reasonable prices. “This is a national issue, and can result in good practices, so if we can, we should promote good bicycles for a reasonable price and not an exorbitant one.”
In addition to this, Dr. Perera also spoke about the need for road discipline, especially towards cyclists, which motorists must ensure.
SLAYS Secretary Dr. Chulantha Jayawardena also spoke about some of the challenges they faced when organising the event, saying the first challenge was to get the people to participate and organise the team.
“The second one was to remove their fear, I would say, because some had bicycles, but had not ridden them for a long time or had never taken them to the roads,” he said, but added that once they joined this initiative, received motivation from Yasas Hewage, and took to the roads, they realised that cycling to work was possible and doable.
He also highlighted some of the concerns Dr. Perera shared, regarding parking spots, security, and washing facilities, and said: “We need to address those issues to make things practically possible.”
Meanwhile, Yasas Hewage carried out an informative session that would definitely encourage more people to take up cycling. “It is amazing what you can do when you understand how a bicycle can create an opportunity for you,” he said, explaining that it helps one focus, think, and plan, for instance, which is especially beneficial to scientists.
The Sri Lanka Academy of Young Scientists plans on organising a few more events to promote cycling to work and raise awareness about the challenges faced by scientists. They also hope to cycle to work on Fridays.
