Politicians standing next to bicycles, European commuters cycling to work in Amsterdam, and families riding their bikes around Copenhagen are all frequent sights. While complaining about traffic that never seems to improve, we in India continue to build flyovers, widen highways, and buy bigger cars.
In addition to being speedier than being stuck in a queue of honking cars on many days and beneficial to the environment and public health, bicycles continue to be one of the most sensible modes of transportation.
Here are seven Indian cities where cycling still makes surprising sense.
If you’ve ever cycled in Mysuru, you'll know the difference immediately. The roads are wider. There are actually stretches where you can hear birds instead of horns. Mysuru is one of the few places where getting on a bicycle doesn’t feel like volunteering for combat.
Planned cities often get criticised for lacking character, but Chandigarh has one thing many charming cities desperately need, that is space. Its broad avenues and orderly sectors make cycling practical. The city reminds us that when planners leave room for people instead of just vehicles, everyone benefits.
When discussing sustainable transportation, Bhubaneswar is rarely mentioned, but it ought to be. The city has expanded without completely succumbing to the anarchy that characterises so many urban areas. Bicycles are still a practical choice for short trips because of the wide roads and generally controllable traffic.
One of the most neglected bicycle cities in India might be Bhopal. There is a feeling of free space along the roads that round its lakes. Here, you may ride a bicycle without feeling constrained by concrete on all sides. A bicycle ride around Bhopal may still feel more like an outdoor adventure than an obstacle course in a culture where many children grow up cut off from nature.
Panaji isn’t an enormous city. Distances are shorter, neighbourhoods are connected and many daily errands don’t require a four wheeler vehicle. That’s exactly the kind of environment where bicycles thrive. Sometimes sustainable transport isn't about expensive technology. It’s about designing cities that don’t force people to travel absurd distances for everyday tasks.