In recent times, the demand to use bicycles as a means of transport has been declining. In this essay, I will discuss the reasons for this decline and offer measures to encourage more people to use bicycles.
To begin with, I argue that the reason why people use bikes less is the harsh weather. The temperature in the summer of Vietnam, for instance, can up to 40 C degrees and it often makes people feel exhausted, especially cyclists, who need to use their energy to cycle. In addition, the lack of infrastructure is also an impediment to inhabitants, who want to use bikes because many cities lack bicycle lanes, sharing bike systems, or crowded pavements. Ho Chi Minh City is a typical example of this decline, countless pavements in this city are utilized for commercial purposes so many people do not have space to cycle. Moreover, city dwellers in this city do not have the opportunity to approach sharing bike systems because bikes can be stolen easily. Therefore, these elements contribute to the decline of cyclists significantly.
One of the ways to increase the use of bicycles is the government should coax people to cycle by organizing outdoor activities to raise people’s awareness about the environment and the benefits of cycling. Besides, authorities should coverage secure bicycle systems all over the nation, building more bicycle lanes, or preventing commercial activities on the pavement such as outlets and restaurants. For these reasons, awareness about the environment of people will increase substantially and make cities use bikes intensively like in Sweden.
Despite the decline in bike usage, I believe that we can handle this issue easily by facilitation from the government and raising people’s awareness about the environment.