Bhubaneswar: The way in which the people of Odisha are taking to cycling, Bhubaneswar could well become the cycling capital of the country. Recognising this, Piyush Ranjan Rout, an avid cyclist, has been nominated by Amsterdam-based social enterprise, BYCS as a Bicycle Mayor of Bhubaneswar. Several other cyclists, who have been promoting cycling in their respective cities have also been chosen as Bicycle Mayors.
The Netherlands-based group is a team of bicycle futurists, cultural programmers, communicators, connectors and campaign creators, which works internationally with governments, businesses and non-profits to initiate and scale breakthrough ideas around cycling.
Rout believes that cycling can transform cities and in turn the world into a better place. Since he works in urban planning and development sector in the city he feels a connect with BYCS. He says he is happy to be chosen by a global network that is managed by like-minded people.
“As a Bicycle Mayor, my work would be to educate people about the positives of cycling. I have been regularly cycling in my city. I visit neighbourhoods, schools, universities, workplaces and convince people of all age groups and walks of life to adapt cycling for a better future of our world. When more people resort to cycling in their daily life, Bhubaneswar will get global attention,” said Rout.
