The city’s cyclists, who once had to be warned not to obstruct traffic on the road, have now become almost an invisible lot, they have to wrestle for space on the roads, often risking their safety
COMMents
SHARE Police constable controlling the traffic on Anna Salai. | Photo Credit: The Hindu Archives In the beginning of July 1938, the rear mudguards of all bicycles in Chennai started looking uniformly white, thanks to a sudden rush among cyclists to get a coat of white paint. The frenzy was triggered by a rumour that spread across the city in a matter of a few days that the government had introduced a new rule demanding white-painted rear mudguards.
Debunking the rumour, D.C.T. Cameron, the then Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Madras, according to a report published in The Hindu on July 12, 1938, said even actual orders issued by the authorities had never been so quickly and readily obeyed.
In 1955, the government had to issue a warning to cyclists to not ride abreast on the city’s roads as it caused obstruction to the other road users. These anecdotes indicate the popularity and pre-eminence bicycles had as a means of transport in Chennai, the city which is home to the first big bicycle factory, T.I. Cycles of India Ltd., in the country. An array of bicycles made by T.I. Cycles with their rear mudguard painted white parked at Ambattur. | Photo Credit: The Hindu Archives Struggling for space
The city’s cyclists, who once had […]
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