Reported by Rituraj Pegu
Cycling is increasingly recognised as a potential solution to a variety of urban challenges, including mobility-related issues such as traffic congestion, pollution, carbon emissions, as well as broader issues of public health and urban sustainability.
City officials around the world, in collaboration with planners and architects, are changing the structure of cities to incorporate cycle design strategies, resulting in sustainable urban transportation.
Many cities in the world are promoting cycling as a way to improve the quality of life for the citizens which in the long run can help achieve a sustainable modal shift to reduce mobility challenges and other negative externalities associated with urban mobility.
Designing Cities For The Working Class
In Delhi, as in many other Indian cities, cycling at present is seen as a sustainable transport alternative and is included in several projects, promising city inhabitants pollution-free and green commute choices while also considering the requirements and safety of cyclists.
According to the 2011 census, about 30.6% of Delhi households own a bicycle, and about 11% of the working population cycles to work. As per a 2020 report by the Transport Department, Government of NCT of Delhi, the number of cyclists fatalities in road accidents in Delhi was 48. This was an increase from around 36 fatalities the previous year.
Mobility is critical in ensuring that everyone has access to opportunities and urban services. Every citizen has their preferred mode of travel, faces different obstacles and has distinct requirements. As a result, if a city is concerned about resolving mobility inequalities, it must take steps to understand and accommodate the needs of all the inhabitants.
However, planning and designing cities for the working class in Delhi is often underappreciated or overlooked.
What Do The People Have To Say?
When we spoke to livelihood cyclists in Delhi, they said that they cycle mostly because it’s the fastest and easiest way to move across the city. However, their everyday commute with the cycle also comes with its fair share of problems.
“Apart from the numerous issues I encounter on a daily basis as a daily wage worker, my commute on bicycle frequently adds to my woes,” says Kailash, a 63-year-old plumber by profession who travels an average of 22 kms a day.
On asking the reason for preferring a second-hand bicycle he mentioned that what contributed to this was the lack of parking space. “I face a lot of issues while finding a parking spot in Chauhan Patti (my workplace) every morning. Also because I’ve been a victim of cycle theft in the past, I always prefer a second-hand bicycle. It draws less attention.”
Kailash explains his ordeal in a rather gloomy and hopeless tone. He says, “The route of my commute does not have adequate lighting. Unfortunately, in many locations around Delhi, the road conditions and lack of infrastructure make cycling more difficult, especially the Nehru Vihar route.
“I find it very difficult to navigate and even the tempo and other four-wheelers plying from Burari often pose a serious hurdle in my daily commute.”
“Cycling is my easy way to get to places without wasting my time in traffic. But the biggest problem I think is the lack of bike lanes and safe parking facilities.”
Despite the fact that bicycles are widely recognised as a practical, cost-effective and sustainable method of transportation, cyclists like Kailash have to face mobility challenges on a daily basis.
This is especially true for other livelihood cyclists as well who pedal for a long-distance regularly across the city to reach their workplace.
Bijender, 25, a migrant worker from UP (Marble Inlay Worker) who is the proud owner of a second-hand bicycle, mentioned that his primary and only mode of transportation to and from work is a bicycle, averaging 70 km a week.
Bijender describes his route to work as difficult to travel in bumper-to-bumper traffic, which usually leaves him late for work. Bijender has no complaints, only a few suggestions on how the traffic and roads can be made more inclusive for pedestrians, two-wheelers and four-wheelers.
His suggestions include separate side tracks for cyclists and pedestrians to avoid congested roads, late-night hours and the impending fear of an accident. He feels people with large vehicles occupy more space on the roads, thereby making commuting difficult.
Further, he went on to say, “Riding a cycle is still the best way to reduce the risk of an accident on a less congested road and keep others safe.”
“Because of the busy traffic I don’t feel safe and protected, a car overtaking you quickly can knock you over anytime.”
Instead of presiding over the flight and fearing no one might come to the rescue, he wishes for his commute to be safe near galis, markets, main roads, intersections and flyovers. He also recommends and commends the kind of road management at Khanpur where there is a separate bicycle track alongside the road.
In the face of these hardships and limitations, he aspires to own a bike in the future, but he does not mind cycling for the daily commute, only if it were made safe and convenient.
Cycling infrastructure, such as cycle lanes and parking spaces, are either non-existent or limited in planning policies. So are cycling rules and regulations.
Cycling-related issues such as lack of parking facilities and traffic accidents involving cycles are caused by the lack of cycle infrastructure or the absence of a cycling policy. The numerous challenges that Bijender faces as described above speak for themselves.
“People don’t follow traffic rules and with bikes and cars they can drive at any speed they want to and I think they don’t care even if they see a cyclist,” says Rajeev, 30, Scrap Collector.
Rajeev is a firm believer in the equitable distribution of services, ranging from separate tracks for bicycles, cars and heavy-load vehicles. No doubt that with less pollution Rajeev’s preferred mode for commuting is his cycle but he feels like the needs of cyclists are not considered when roads are constructed.
He mentions, “If the authorities could make separate lanes for motorised and non-motorized traffic, the safer a cyclist would feel.”
Promoting Cycling As A Means Of Transport
It’s critical to establish the role of cycling in a city’s mobility planning. To fully integrate and promote cycling into the urban mobility system, a coordinated effort in the areas of infrastructure development, safety and security, and assessment is the need of the hour.
People will want to pedal more if they are safe and have access to better cycling infrastructure. Cycling must be feasible, convenient, reliable and safe for everyone in order to become a preferred and sustainable mode of transportation. It must be welcoming to every inhabitant of the city, irrespective of their gender, accessible to persons of all ages and with varying physical abilities.
Cycling will be more successful if the overall transportation policy tries to promote a mobility network that is both environmentally sustainable and beneficial to road users of all sorts such as pedestrians, motorists, public transport, etc.
Incorporating a cycling policy in the city plan will necessitate the collaboration of multiple government agencies, planners, public transportation, as well as the private sector involving cyclists and other users and stakeholders dealing with non-motorized transportation.
Jhatkaa.org is demanding the Delhi government to introduce a cycling policy for the city. Sign the petition here.
Rituraj Pegu is a PhD Candidate at the Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University. Currently, he is working as a Mobility Champion — Delhi with Youth Leadership For Active Citizenship (YLAC) and Jhatkaa.org.
As an Urban Geographer his research centres on people-place relationships, understanding informality, spatial inequality, urban development and governance.