Chirag Jayantilal Shah from Thane City in Maharashtra joins the international network of change-makers to accelerate cycling adoption. Thane City now has a Bicycle Mayor to advance the city’s approach to cycling.
Chirag Shah joins an influential network of independent city leaders that is now active on every continent, all working to make their cities more human-centric and fit for the future.
The task of Chirag as a Bicycle Mayor will be to work across all parts of the community to identify the most pressing issues, and then bring people together to work on implementing practical solutions. Passionate about cycling and creating a more liveable city, he takes up the voluntary role beside his Business.
The Bicycle Mayor network was established and is coordinated by the Dutch social enterprise BYCS, which works to create and scale breakthrough new solutions for cycling. It has a mission called #50by30, which means they want 50% of all city trips to be taken by bike by 2030.
Maud de Vries, co-founder of BYCS, said “We need to ensure our cities are more liveable and ready for the challenges of the future. But the changes required are not happening fast enough. We know that the bicycle is key to transforming this, and we know that every city can benefit from having a Bicycle Mayor to unlock this potential. We are thrilled to welcome Chirag Shah to the International Bicycle Mayor network and excited to see what happens next in Thane.”
Cycling not just provides active, clean mobility solutions for cities, but it also improves physical health and mental well-being. Cycling is harmonious with the environment, helps builds stronger communities and fosters new, sustainable economic opportunities.
Every Bicycle Mayor in the BYCS network works towards this mission according to the local needs, but with the shared experience of the other Bicycle Mayors. And being part of the network also elevates each person’s profile, ensuring they can be more effective in their work.
The focus areas for their work can be very varied. In Cape Town, the Bicycle Mayor has been educating young women to ride, allowing them to access education and employment for the first time. In India, the Bicycle Mayors are all actively tackling the air pollution crisis in their cities, whilst in Amsterdam, there is a focus on improving safety for children.
“I am really pleased to be named as the Bicycle Mayor of Thane. The ‘City of Lakes’ has lot of cycling enthusiast and leisure riders, but we need to focus more on to adopt cycling for commute – to work, school, college, market etc. Safety and bicycle parking is a major concern in the city which we will have to focus more. I invite every citizen of Thane to come and join this revolutionary movement to make Thane as a Bicycle Capital of India and bicycle-friendly city” – Chirag Shah.
Chirag said that the initial focus for the work in Thane will be –
- Project – Cycle Yug, Cycle Chalao Desh Bachao and Cycle to Work
- Women’s Training through Project Mein Chalaungi
- Pop-up Lanes and Bicycle Parking
To extend your support and form collaborations, you can reach out to Chirag on his email : fabs.chirag.shah@gmail.com
For more information on the global network contact BYCS : Alex Baum, email : alex@bycs.org
Source: Bicycle Mayor of Thane City and BYCS
Photo credits: Chirag Shah
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Author: Vijay Malhotra, Mumbai
