Why is bicycle not popular in Pakistan?

[RescueRanger]

Pakistani's are too lazy. The culture resolves around praying, coming home to sleep the day and then eating sweet food, fatty food. Then praying. Then sleeping again.

Anything requiring physical effort is to be avoided at all costs.

That's not lazy, that's strategic hibernation for an important job. They are on standby like coiled springs - waiting for the call.

 

[313ghazi]

I noticed in my city in the UK a lot of delivery drivers are now using electric bicycles.

 

[RescueRanger]

I noticed in my city in the UK a lot of delivery drivers are now using electric bicycles.

I think e-bikes will be the future.

 

[313ghazi]

I think e-bikes will be the future.

I think in our urban centres they should be.

 

[RescueRanger]

I think in our urban centres they should be.

Eventually you will see larger market penetration in all communities, just like cellphones, the internet and other technological quality of life improvements.

 

[Hyde]

Pakistani's are too lazy. The culture resolves around praying, coming home to sleep the day and then eating sweet food, fatty food. Then praying. Then sleeping again.

Anything requiring physical effort is to be avoided at all costs.

I was going to say the same

People associate bicycle with poor people. They are lazy and discourage any kind of physical effort. Unless you have a bakery or pharmacy they will open shop at 11am and close around 5-6pm and hardly have a social life outside their area so the bike is not needed

 

[ziaulislam]

I read a old Chinese novel recently, which talks about the importance bicycle in Chinese daily life back in 80s. Bicycle is reasonably affordable and would significantly improved people’s mobility. Most importantly It doesn’t consume any fuel to run apart from man power. It is a wonderful transportation tool for people in developing nations to improve life quality and productivity. I am talking about work horse bicycle like the ones in the old photo below, not fancy mountain bike.

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I could be wrong but from what I see, bicycle is not that popular in Pakistani society. I know there are lot of motorcycles but it is an upgrade to bicycle rather than a substitute. What is the reason for that? Is it due to lack of availability or something else?

Seen as sign of poverty hence noone will use it even if its best way to commute

 

[REhorror]

I myself think bicycle, e-bike and public transportation will be the future. E-cars will be cheap and small, like japanese kei-cars, the big ones would be only for rural areas.

Anyway, if your infrastructure does not support bike lane, riding bicycle is dangerous.

 

[Zibago]

I don't know about this post. Depends when you were living, back in the 80's and early 90's bicycles were plenty popular in Pakistan.

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The workhorse of every working class household. Then in the early naughties, the cash deposite 70 cc scooter from Honda became very popular and as people started travelling more, taking children to school at longer distances and travelling wit family (pillion) - those blue collar workers who could afford it, swapped their bicycles for the scooter.

Bicycles are still popular in Pakistan. bicycles
In Pakistan, at least high-end mountain bikes and streamlined roadsters, are not produced locally. According to annual international trade statistics, the value of imports of bicycles to Pakistan totaled $6.1 million in 2019. During 2019, Pakistan imported about 1.7 million bicycles and bicycle parts, and exported only about 12,000.
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If I start going by bicycle to work I would probably get run over by a truck
I need something that can cross 40KM per hour atleast on the highway

I myself think bicycle, e-bike and public transportation will be the future. E-cars will be cheap and small, like japanese kei-cars, the big ones would be only for rural areas.

Anyway, if your infrastructure does not support bike lane, riding bicycle is dangerous.

Exactly
I commute to work through a busy highway and going on it by bicycle would be suicide

 

[Maula Jatt]

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Least patriotic pakistanis

 

[RescueRanger]

If I start going by bicycle to work I would probably get run over by a truck
I need something that can cross 40KM per hour atleast on the highway

I used to cycle to work from Rawalpindi Westridge to Islamabad when I got my first job, about 18km give it take going and about the same distance coming back.

Granted traffic and congestion has increased now and there is only a limited cycle zone in Islamabad.

That's why I strongly believe e-bikes will be the future mode of transport in Pakistan.

Least patriotic pakistanis

Who cares about patriotism these days, LU biscuits are more patriotic than most cyber Pakistanis

 

[Zibago]

I used to cycle to work from Rawalpindi Westridge to Islamabad when I got my first job, about 18km give it take going and about the same distance coming back.

RIght now doing that on 9th avenue or Kashmir highway during rush hour would be lethal

 

[Zibago]

Pakistani's are too lazy. The culture resolves around praying, coming home to sleep the day and then eating sweet food, fatty food. Then praying. Then sleeping again.

Anything requiring physical effort is to be avoided at all costs.

In most cities using bicycles is dangerous

 

[Bilal9]

Someone should create a 2 in 1 type (electric/manual) bicycle for Pakistan.

Something that can switch from manual mode to battery/electric mode as user desire.

Such things already existed in the seventies - they were called Mopeds (Motorcycle with Pedals included). Some are electric too.

"Motorcycles with up to 50 cc (3.1 cu in) petrol engines or 0.6 kW (0.82 PS; 0.80 bhp) rated power generators are classified Motorized bicycle (原動機付自転車, gendoukitsuki-jitensha). The drivers must be older than 16, get the driving license, register the vehicles and wear helmets. Car driving license holders also can drive them. The legally maximum speed is 30 km/h (19 mph)."

" Produced by U.S. manufacturers such as American Machine and Foundry (AMF), mopeds had very small engines and often could not exceed 30 mph (48 km/h). What they could do, however, was run for up to 220 miles (350 km) on one tank of fuel. Because of the problems caused by the 1970s energy crisis, mopeds quickly became popular, with more than 250,000 people in the United States owning one in 1977. However, as gasoline prices eventually moved down, licensing laws took their toll, and automobile companies devised more efficient cars, the moped's popularity began to fade."

Most electric mopeds nowadays are of two types,

a) Bicycles with batteries which are lightweight (and have pedals)

b) Electric scooties which look like VESPA scooters which are a bit heavier and faster. These have no pedals whatsoever.

 

[Paitoo]

My hypothesis from observations in India is this:

Bicycles are used mainly by poor migrant workers from other states. Local poor tend to use public transport or if they can stretch it, then motorbikes. I don't know what is the composition of urban poor in Pakistani cities. Whether they are from within the province or outside. In Indian cities a lot of blue collar workers tend to be from other states