Rutul Joshi

Increasing population and urbanization is creating a steadily increasing demand for transportation in the cities of many developing countries, coinciding with rapid economic growth leading to increasing demand for higher standards of living and faster and more efficient modes of transportation. The decisions made today regarding transport infrastructure will affect long-term travel behavior, with corresponding impacts on the economy, society, and the environment, the last impact being one of the most important in times of steadily rising environmental concern. The successful experiences of Curitiba in Brazil and Bogotá in Colombia have served as a source of inspiration for other cities in Latin America and elsewhere. In 1973 Curitiba became the first city in the world to introduce an integrated land use and transport infrastructure approach with an integrated transport network based on bus rapid transit (BRT). The BRT systems of Curitiba and Bogotá have subsequently been adopted all over the world with some variations. Implementation of two recent BRTs, Mexico City and Ahmedabad in India, are examined in this paper.

This report was produced as part of a project titled 'Local (Low-Carbon) Accessibility Planning in Indian Cities‘ at the Centre for Urban Equity (CUE), CEPT University, Ahmedabad during the time period June 2013-June 2014. The project received funding from the Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF), New Delhi.The project aims at evolving a methodology for preparation of local area plans that is based on rational and informed decision-making while being adequately representative of local aspirations.

Cycles are fast disappearing from the urban landscape, popular culture, and everyday life in India.  The marginalization of cycling is seen in the backdrop of an emerging automobile culture linked with rising incomes, post-liberalization and skewed notions of modernity.  The continued dominance of motorized modes seeks to claim a larger share of road space mirroring the social power structure.  The majority of urban cyclists in India are low-income workers or school-going children. Despite the emergence of a subculture of recreational cycling among higher-income groups, everyday cycling confronts social bias and neglect in urban policies and public projects.  The rhetoric of sustainability and equity in the National Urban Transport Policy 2006 and pro-cycling initia- tives in “best practice” transit projects are subverted by not building adequate enabling infrastructure. This article presents an overview of contentious issues related to cycling in Indian cities by examining the politics of inclusion and exclusion in urban policies.