Cycling is more environmentally friendly than other forms of transport.

Why is it not
popular in many places? How can its popularity be increased?

It is true that the carbon footprint of bicycles is by far less than that of other means
of transportation. However, this has not been a common commuting way in some
parts of the world due to numerous reasons. These factors will be elucidated in the
following lines before proposing some feasible solutions to popularize cycling.
There are two primary reasons why many individuals are not in favor of riding
bikes. One driving force is the associated health risks. To clarify, the
environmental deteriorations such as air pollution and ozone layer depletion,
especially in metropolises, can negatively influence on the bikers’ health since they
expose directly to such environment. For instance, in Ho Chi Minh city, where the
alarming rate of air pollution was registered in 2019, residents chose to work at
home or travel by air-conditioned forms of transports namely bus or car. Another
compelling reason is that the nowadays hectic lifestyle requires less time
commuting back-and-forth between places. Therefore, convenience and velocity
are prioritized over environment concerns.
Being acknowledged these aforementioned factors, governments need to be
involved in tackling the situation by several measures. Firstly, propagandas and
campaigns ought to be intensified. If the future consequences are well-informed,
the public environmental conscience and awareness will be raised. Secondly,
national and local authorities can adopt laws and restrictions for the sake of bike
users. A healthy and safe environment would encourage a significant amount of
people to cycle. London is a shining example for this solution, congestion charge is
implemented in this city, resulting in the considerable reduction of carbon
emission, in other words, a better overall traffic condition.
In conclusion, it seems to me that a variety of reasons accounts for the
phenomenon in which bikes are not the preferred mode of transport and this can be
improved by policies on both media and traffic environment.