A glance at any street or road in the Capital reveals a hierarchy of sorts. The ‘caste system’ of vehicles prioritises cars, closely followed by two-wheelers and large vehicles. Strangely enough, bicycles find no place on the list.
According to Delhi Police data, of the total road fatalities every year, nearly 70% comprise cyclists and pedestrians. Experts say Delhi is among the most unsafe metros for cyclists despite having space for developing infrastructure for them.
Encroached lanes
It’s not as if the city doesn’t have cycle lanes along major roads. But the state they are in prevents safer and higher use of bicycles for short commutes.
In 2015, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) assessed five passages with cycle lanes — the BRT stretch from Ambedkar Nagar to Pragati Maidan, Vikas Marg from ITO to Laxmi Nagar, Tughlakabad Road from Jamia Hamdard to Pul Prahladpur, Noida Link Road from Akshardham to New Ashok Nagar and Marginal Bund Road near Shastri Nagar. The study found that cycle lanes in all these areas were encroached by cars and two-wheelers. Besides this, they were badly designed with sharp gradients and there was no facility to allow cyclists unhindered entry to the special lane.
“The problem is the attitude that road users here have towards cyclists. It seems like they’re doing a favour by letting them coexist in the same space as their expensive cars. What we need is a strong government policy that will encourage people to cycle over short distances,” said CSE executive director Anumita Roychowdhury.
Pollution woes
She added that along with building infrastructure for cyclists, improving public transport will ensure safer routes. With more and more vehicles on the road, the health of cyclists is affected due to exposure to fumes and the possibility of meeting with accidents also goes up, she added.
In 2008, according to the most recent study by Urban Development Ministry, cyclists in Delhi made roughly 2.8 million trips daily — nearly as many as cars (three million trips). With close to nine million registered vehicles, Delhi has more motor vehicles than Chennai, Mumbai or Kolkata.
Bicycle master plan
The Delhi Master Plan 2021 has indeed suggested cycle tracks on all roads. As far back as 1998, experts from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, led by Geetam Tiwari, had come up with a bicycle master plan for Delhi. However, the government is yet to look at suggestions from the report with seriousness.
However, experts feel that only creating cycle tracks is not enough. In several countries, the government gives tax exemptions to promote cycling. Schemes to make commuters switch to cycling for trips less than five kilometres can perhaps be given thought. Also, cycles should be seen as an effective feeder system for metro and bus systems.
AAP legislator from Malviya Nagar, Somnath Bharti, is trying to set an example for residents of his area. He cycles to work and over short distances daily. “Directing people to use cycles for short distances has become the need of the hour. The best part is that Delhiites are also realising this,” he said.
Who said what
“The problem is the attitude that road users here have towards cyclists. It seems like they’re doing a favour by letting them coexist in the same space as their expensive cars
Anumita Roychowdhury CSE executive director
