If the matter is to save the environment from the smoke of vehicles, the first consideration comes from the bicycle. But how to play bicycle too? On the one hand, the fear of being hit by high speed vehicles, on the other, the possibility of getting injured by falling into pits and drains – the condition in India is not entirely safe for cycling. It is believed that the people of India, if considered a recent survey.
In fact, the survey was conducted by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Air (Mo-HUA) as part of the India Cycles4Change Challenge. In a survey conducted in fifty cities, it was found that 20 percent of women do not ride a bicycle due to traffic congestion or poor road traffic because they are prone to molestation.
Nearly 50,000 people were contacted in the survey to know what are the reasons that prevent someone from cycling and among all the reasons why people who are cycling are driving. And in response most of the respondents said that if cycling becomes safe and convenient, they would not mind cycling for work, education, and recreation.
Respondents also pointed to issues such as lack of bicycle parking, haphazard parking of vehicles on the road, and poor street-lighting. About 52% of men and 49% of women found cycling unsafe on main roads, while 36% of men and 34% of women reported fear of cycling at intersections.
According to the results of the survey, out of those who know cycling, only a quarter of them ride it daily and about half cycle it a few days a week.
Reacting to the survey, Atuba Longkumer, Technology Officer at Kohima Smart City Development Limited, says, “We are doing all that motivates the people of Kohima to cycle. We are also getting good results. Now we hope that Kohima will emerge as an example in this direction. ”
The survey paved the way for the 28 cities to overcome obstacles in cycling as a pilot project. In this sequence, areas of more than 340 km of cycling corridors (corridors) and neighborhoods of around 210 sq km (neighborhood) have been selected across the country. Taking the partnership approach forward, 28 cities including Rajkot, Kohima, and Mangaluru conducted a ‘handlebar survey’ to assess the constraints at the ground level and now design solutions have been initiated for the pilot project.
The India Cycles 4 Change Challenge is a national initiative that aims to build bicycle-friendly cities and the survey is one of the key components to ensure a citizen-led approach. Cities surveyed in English and Hindi with local languages such as Tamil, Marathi and Kannada.
Kunal Kumar, Secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, while explaining the importance and relevance of this survey, says India Cycles 4 Change Challenge is ensuring that people are at the center of the planning process. I urge citizens to participate in it, show support and share their feedback. “
Also read in Hindi: साइकिल से डर नहीं लगता साहब, ट्रैफिक से लगता है!