시장조사 Healthy workers switch to pedal power

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Healthy workers switch to pedal power

Bicycles on Hoang Van Thu Street in HCMC’s Phu Nhuan District. Pedaling to work has become a popular alternative to commuting by motorbike.

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are seeing a revival of the bicycle as commuters look to a healthier body and environment.

Nguyen Ngoc Tung, 42, has put his motorbike aside and pedals the four kilometers to work every day to avoid getting stuck in the heavy traffic.

“People think that bicycles are slow but actually they’re fast because they don’t get stuck in traffic jams,” Tung said.

“One day I met my colleague on the way to work but I arrived 15 minutes earlier than her because she got stuck in the traffic.”

Tung said it surprised some of his work colleagues from S-Telecom Company when they saw their chief accountant traveling to work on a bicycle.

In the wake of the gasoline price hike, many urban dwellers in Vietnam like Tung have turned to bicycles because it’s good for them and the environment.

Tung said regular bicycling has reduced his high blood pressure.

“It’s not easy to switch from motorbike to bike,” he said. “But once you start, it can influence family and friends to try it too.”

Tran Minh Phat, 23, said everyone should ride bicycles whenever possible and start with short rides.

Phat pedals the two kilometers from home to the bus station every day then buses to school 30 kilometers away.

He said the bicycle not only saves money and protects the environment but makes him feel energetic.

“Riding around, I discover new things that provide ideas for my website,” said Phat, who owns the Green Blog website on environmental issues.

Viet, a graphic designer, said more than 10 employees of his company in Binh Thanh District pedal to work.

“Traveling by bicycle makes life feel more gentle but I don’t think I’m slow.”

Viet said he only uses motorbikes when it’s urgent.

It takes To Hien Thanh 40-60 minutes to ride his bicycle the 23 kilometers to work in HCMC’s District 4 every day.

He does it for his health. “I had high blood sugar for eight years but returned to normal after I started riding the bicycle.”

Some companies encourage workers, who have to sit for long hours indoors, to use bicycles. At FPT Software’s Hanoi branch, for example, 210 people travel to work by bicycles every day.

FPT Corporate Brand Manager Nguyen Anh Quan said people should choose to ride bicycles because it is convenient and healthy not because they are forced to.

Promoting bicycles

On May 16 this year thousands of workers and students rode bicycles to work and school on the first day of the “Green Traffic” campaign.

Dang Huong Giang, one of the three initiators of the campaign, said there are heaps of good reasons to ride bikes. “You should tell everyone you meet to ride whenever possible to discover the benefits.”

“That’s the way our campaign goes.”

Hundreds of students and teachers from colleges in Hanoi and neighboring provinces responded to the campaign by riding to school twiceor more a week.

In another campaign around 100,000 HCMC officers were asked to use buses or bicycles at least once a week to save money, starting this month.

Authorities hope that the project, which has been flagged for all residents in early 2009, will reduce pollution and save around VND4.6 trillion (US$278 million) a year, deputy director of the city’s department of transport, Duong Hong Thanh, said.

Enthusiasts

Meanwhile, the latest trend is welcome news for old-school bicycle lovers.

Trinh Dinh Duc, 80, has loved bicycles since he was a little boy and he still rides 60-70 kilometers every morning.

“When I see gas prices, polluted air and commuters suffering in traffic jams, I know that it’s right to love bicycles,” he said.

Source: Tuoi Tre