Sporting in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic is not impossible. In fact, exercise should be increasingly encouraged to maintain body fitness. A fit and healthy body will be more difficult for viruses to enter because the body's resistance increases. Coupled with discipline in implementing health protocols, exercise can provide great benefits for everyone. According to WHO, exercise is not only beneficial for physical health, but also mental. Cycling is a type of aerobic physical exercise that can maintain health, reduce depression or stress or anxiety during the pandemic, make the lungs healthy, heart healthy, and many other benefits. The popularity of bicycles has begun to increase rapidly in recent years. Boredom due to constantly doing all activities from home is one of the triggers for the soaring trend of cycling.
Bicycles are an environmentally friendly mode of transportation that is now starting to be widely used by urban communities. There are many factors behind it, one of which is to fulfill traffic needs or simply to channel a hobby. Cycling also has advantages that other modes of transportation do not have, namely that it allows riders to experience a city more closely. Not many people know their city more closely, especially a city with many high activities carried out by its residents. Generally they just spend time on the road without paying attention to their surroundings. By cycling, people are given the opportunity to get to know their city in more depth.
Recently, the Madiun City Government has begun to realize the importance of bicycle lanes in the city environment and has begun to provide space for bicycle lanes. This certainly brings a breath of fresh air to the life of the city of Madiun, which means that people can experience the supporting infrastructure for riders and bicycle enthusiasts. However, it cannot be denied that there are always lessons to be learned from every incident. The pandemic has made Madiun City continue to innovate. This City of Warriors succeeded in receiving an award as a Bicycle Friendly City by the Indonesian Bike to Work (B2W) Community in the B2W Award event in 2021. At that time, the ownership of tourist bicycle lanes led to this City of Warriors receiving the second title as a Bicycle Friendly City for the medium or small city category.
The title of Bicycle Friendly City is certainly a plus point, especially amidst the large number of people who are passionate about cycling. At least cyclists don't need to worry about having to cycle in motorized vehicle lanes with all the risks that lurk. Having a special bicycle lane is an alternative so that cyclists can cycle calmly and not endanger themselves or others. Madiun City also seems quite serious about its commitment to being a Bicycle Friendly City. Apart from the tourist bicycle lane, the Mayor of Madiun also issued a policy regarding the "Cycling Movement for Employees within the Madiun City Government" every Friday since the beginning of February 2022. The title of Bicycle Friendly City, which also means Environmentally Friendly, makes bicycles an inseparable part of Madiun City.
Discussing environmentally friendly cities when linked to cycling activities, currently the use of electric bicycles is also growing (E-Bike). Electric vehicles have become a popular trend among people in various parts of the world, including Indonesia. Their use is increasing because electric vehicles are considered more environmentally friendly and easy to operate. The Indonesian government itself has issued special regulations for the use of electric vehicles as a means of transportation. Currently, there are more than one billion bicycle users in the world, it is hoped that by 2023 around 40 million of them will be electric bicycles. In many other countries, electric bicycles are very easy to find on the streets, but in Indonesia they are currently still in the process of being introduced so there are not many users.
Basically, an electric bicycle is an ordinary pedal bicycle which is supported by various electrical components in the form of a battery, motor/dinamo, and controllers that synergize with each other. In short, it can be said that this electric bicycle works by converting electrical energy from the battery into mechanical energy via a dynamo. The dynamo which then experiences a rotating movement will transmit it to the rear wheel so that the electric bicycle can run without having to pedal. Even though they are powered by electrical energy to move, electric bicycles can still be ridden by pedaling like a bicycle in general. The way to pedal is the same so it doesn't require special techniques. So, the presence of electrical components in it is not intended to completely replace human power, but is rather intended to increase driving power. That way, riders can traverse various terrains easily without getting tired. Electric bicycles will become an environmentally friendly transportation alternative.
In the midst of the strengthening of the electric vehicle ecosystem in Indonesia which is supported by Presidential Decree 55 of 2019 concerning the Acceleration of the Battery-Based Electric Motor Vehicle Program, Madiun State Polytechnic (PNM) as the only state Vocational Higher Education campus in the western region of East Java also continues to innovate through the development of electric bicycles. This time PNM developed its 8th electric bicycle with a classic typecustom. A modified electric bicycle calledE-Bike’sIt was designed and produced by PNM students who received the Madiun City Government's Bidik Misi Scholarship.
In order to provide attention and support development programs for the City of Madiun, on the occasion of the 104th Anniversary of the City of Madiun, the Madiun State Polytechnic gave these electric bicycles to the Madiun City Government through the Mayor of Madiun.
Madiun as a bicycle-friendly city has designated special bicycle lanes, at least there are special tourist bicycle lanes. In the future, it is hoped that there will be more special bicycle lanes in the Madiun City area, balanced with public awareness to be wiser in using them. However, there are also several challenges that need to be taken into consideration to make the city of Madiun a bicycle-friendly city, including limited road ROW caused by limited land, the air temperature in Indonesia which has a tropical climate which is quite hot, including in the city of Madiun, causing a lack of comfort when cycling, and the need for careful space planning so as not to cause conflicts with other space use plans.
Happy Madiun City, hopefully at the age of 104 this year the City of Warriors can continue to innovate and excel in all fields. Hopefully all policies and services carried out by the Madiun City Government led by MADA can provide greater benefits for the people of Madiun City so that they become healthier and more prosperous. (Public Relations team/PIP/PNM)
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