Cyclists are 40 times more prone to fatalities than cars in Delhi, finds a study by IIT-Delhi.
However, cycling can provide environmental and health co-benefits, notes another study from Japan-based Kyushu University which found that Delhi can avoid of 121.5 kilotons of carbon dioxide emission and 138.9 tons of Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 if the city shifts to a non-motorised transport regime.
Cycling is a clean mode of transport and avid cyclists note that the government should incentivise and make tailor-made policies for cyclists.
In November 2022, a 50-year-old cyclist, was crossing the Mahipalpur flyover in Delhi when a car hit him from behind. The cyclist, businessman Subhendu Banerjee, was wearing a helmet when the fatal accident happened. This is not an isolated case where a motor vehicle hits a cyclist . Records say that 249 cyclists in Delhi have lost their lives on Delhi roads in five years, between 2017-2021.
For many of Delhi’s cyclists though, cycling is not just a hobby or a fitness choice. It is a mode of transport selected for its low cost. Sunil Mandal is one among such people. The 46-year-old Mandal is a driver employed by a transport company in Lajpat Nagar in the southern part of Delhi. Based in Tughlakabad, Mandal cycles eight kilometres every day to reach his office early in the morning via Guru Ravidas Marg, a route that sees many cyclists headed to work. “If I take the bus, I will likely spend around Rs. 3,000 […]
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