The Coronavirus made Indians train their attention to their health and exercising, and found the single user bicycle far safer than other modes of transport that involved strangers to drive them. But, in a city starved of space, it also threw up sundry challenges. Most estimates suggest that 2021 has seen a growth of 20 per cent in cycle sales. But the avenues to safely park the cycles haven’t kept up. Most housing colonies don’t have a dedicated parking space for cycles, unlike cars and motorbikes. Shrikant Salve recalls that CLI Colony, his residential society in Sion, had only two cycles pre-pandemic. They now house more than eight.

Like with everything else that takes up space, bicycle popularity has become a headache for new cycling enthusiasts who are looking for space to park their two wheelers. Varshil Mehta from Vile Parle had to sell his cycle because he was finding it tough to find a nook to park. “Most people find space to park only on the streets but that’s far from safe. Often, it’s about getting the security guards to accommodate your request. It can become a constant point of stress.”