In 2025, a district collector, a union minister, and a cycling advocacy group were motivated by the same thought: cycling for a pollution-free future. At the beginning of the year, BYCS India Foundation, a cycling advocacy group, urged major political parties to prioritise making Delhi a bicycle-friendly city.
In August, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Mansukh Mandaviya, echoed the sentiment, framing cycling as “a solution to pollution.” In December, Andhra Pradesh’s NTR District Collector G Lakshmisha emphasised the importance of cycling not just for personal fitness, but to reduce emissions.
With more research highlighting that cycling can reduce pollution and move towards net-zero carbon goals, there has been a push to promote the familiar leisure activity as a climate solution.
However, a new study, published in Nature Cities, examined bicycling culture in cities of four low- and middle-income countries – Delhi and Chennai in India, Dhaka in Bangladesh and Accra in Ghana – and found barriers including lack of physical infrastructure as well as policy, implementation and gender gaps.
India is the sixth most-polluted country, according to the 2025 World Air Quality Report by IQAIR, with Delhi ranking as the fourth most polluted city worldwide.
“Whenever air pollution rises in Delhi, the conversation turns to reducing vehicular emissions. The government and the media advocate...
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