Cycling quest in cities going off-track

In recent years, several Indian cities launched ambitious plans to promote cycling, rolling out dedicated lanes with much fanfare.

- Manoj Sharma

Yet, these efforts have largely missed the mark, with minimal cycling adoption and most lanes left deserted, damaged, or encroached upon.

While the Covid-19 pandemic sparked a brief resurgence in cycling, prompting cities to introduce pop-up lanes under the Cycles4Change Challenge-part of the Smart Cities Mission - the shift towards sustainable cycling remains elusive.

"The reason is cycling lanes in cities have been piecemeal, often leading cyclists nowhere. Besides, building lanes alone isn't enough-safety and usability must come first. A cohesive approach with continuous lanes, safety improvements, and strict enforcement is essential for a successful cycling system in cities," says Amit Bhatt, managing director (India) at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT).

Experts say that cycling lanes in Indian cities face several critical challenges: from poor design and fragmentation to constant encroachment by vendors, vehicles, and pedestrians. Safety remains a major concern too, with rampant traffic violations and inadequate separation from fast motor vehicle lanes putting cyclists at serious risk.

Shreya Gadepalli, urban mobility expert and founder, UrbanWorks Institute, stresses that cycling networks in Indian cities need a comprehensive and end-to-end approach to serve as a viable mode of transport. "For that, cities need to have compact traffic junctions where cyclists can wait safely, ahead of vehicular traffic. Besides, cities need to build a 'cycling service' rather than just infrastructure, where the focus is also on maintenance and management of cycling tracks to ensure long-term usability and safety," she says.

A Cycling History of India