Today, attraction towards bicycle – which was once considered to be the best and cheapest means of transport, seems to be diminishing especially among the youth as they are more drawn towards superbikes and non-geared scooters for speed thrills and convenience. But the old-timers in Ponda attribute their secret of leading a healthy life to cycling, which is cost effective and at the same time pollution free.
Today motorbikes and scooters have replaced bicycles on Goan roads. Earlier around 20-30 years ago bicycle was the considered as cheapest and the most popular mode of transport in Goa as the young and the old were usually seen riding them on village and town roads. People of all ages, be it young or old preferred riding bicycles as part of their daily routine exercise so as to keep them fit and at the same this mode of transport was cheap and pollution free.
But with tourism development and the growth of industries, cyclists especially the youth have now shifted their attention towards bikes and scooters. But this has not affect the cycle diehard fans especially the senior citizens who still prefer this cheapest means transport which they feel is a part of their life.
Today just to travel a distance of a few metres people prefer to ride a scooter or a bike to meet their daily requirements such as buying milk, fish and vegetables. Earlier, people used to travel on their bicycles around 30-40 kms to reach their workplace as there were few buses plying on Goa’s roads.
Earlier, many tea shops or hotels used give cycles on rent as villagers preferred taking the same on hire to visit their relative’s houses or to reach their respective workplaces.
Recalling the earlier days, 80-year-old Pandurang Gawde, a resident of Kavlem says the local shop owner or tea shop owner with good financial position would buy at least four to five cycles and hire the same to customers especially villagers who were charged four annas (25 paise) per hour. At 22 years, I used to proceed on a cycle to my workplace. I used to cover distant places such as Panjim, Vasco and Margao and that too, on a cycle. My work centred on filling the mud in trenches which were dug up to lay water pipeline at different places across Goa. At that time, the cost of cycle was around Rs 150 and that of a scooter or a bike was around Rs 750. People couldn’t afford to buy bicycles and many shopkeepers used to give bicycles on rent in every village.
Another senior citizen, an 80-year-old Honu Naryan Naik, who popularly known as Apa in Bandora says he is fit and healthy because his still rides a bicycle. He recently purchased his seventh bicycle and rues the fact that today cycles have few takers as the present generation feels ashamed to use bicycle because they attracted to high-powered motorbikes. He further says that he used to travel on a cycle to sell lotteries to distant places in Ponda taluka. “Cycling is good and I am healthy and that too at this age because I have been riding my bicycle all my life.”
According to Agnelo Jos Cabral, who owns the Jose Cabral Shop in Shastri Hall building at Ponda, says, “Though cycles are not as popular as compare to earlier, but kids’ bicycles are in demand today. Even my doctor suggested me to go cycling for a healthy life as it is pollution-free.
Bandora Panch Rajesh Naik says, today fishermen and bakers ride bikes and scooters to sell fish and bread. Only a few cycle shops exist in Ponda. People should be encourage the use of cycles as it’s the cheapest mode of transport.
It may be recalled that the Bandora Panchayat was in fix over cycle tax pending dues which amounted to around Rs 9302 in the last 20 years. The auditors suggested ways to the panchayat in recovering the same from around 232 bicycle owners.
