India's "City of Cycles" Was DESTROYED. But...

This tale of Pune, once renowned as the 'City of Cycles,' unveils its transformation through time and the possibility of a cycling renaissance.
🚲 Historical Glory: Discover the golden era of Pune, where cycling was not just a mode of transport but a cultural emblem. We trace back to the days when Pune’s flat terrains, academic vibe, and local bicycle manufacturing made cycling an integral part of city life.
🚗 The Shift: Witness how the advent of motor vehicles changed the city’s landscape. The video explores the impact of pollution, traffic hazards, and the convenience of app-based rides that led to a decline in cycling, mirroring a global trend of urbanization and motorization.
🌿 Renewed Hope: Amidst the challenges, Pune is stirring with initiatives to revive its cycling culture. We delve into the efforts like cycling marathons, Car-Free Days, public bike-sharing programs, and the resurgence of cycling clubs, all signaling a potential comeback.
🚴‍♀️ The Road Ahead: Pune now stands at a pivotal moment, facing the challenge of reintegrating cycling into its modern fabric. We discuss the necessity of community and government collaboration to overcome urban hurdles and promote a sustainable transit culture.
🔍 A Lesson in Resilience: Pune's story serves as a powerful example of how cities can adapt and revive their heritage. It highlights the importance of balancing modern development with sustainable practices, especially in rapidly urbanizing regions.
👉 Join us in exploring Pune’s fascinating journey from a cycling haven to a motor-dominated city and its hopeful path back to cycling prominence. Subscribe for more stories on urban transformation, sustainable living, and the global cycling movement.
#cycling #cyclinglife #bikes #bicycle #urbanmobility #urbanmobility #bikelife #bike #cyclist #cyclists #bicycling #bicycleculture #cycling #sustainablecities #sustainability

[@virajjoglekar4337]

instead of increasing road lanes, PMC should add cycling lanes and footpaths . Also instead of choosing good role model for sustainable city development, we chose heavily car dependent American cities. Pune should move in the direction of cities like Amsterdam, Helsinki, Berlin . More transit, more cycles, better health.

[@thattravellingguy]

Thank you for making this video, but as a resident of Pune, born and lived here my entire life and someone who's been cycling for over 55 yrs, can safely tell you that Pune will never become the cycling city it once was. The reasons are many folds.
1. Cycling is seen as a poor man's transport. So the vast majority of neocyclists will not go for work or to buy groceries or go out for coffee with family and friends on their cycles.
2. Use it for fitness. Since most of these people have cycles costing upwards of a lac of rupees, they'll only use them for fitness rides in the morning (which is actually bad in the colder season because the pollutants are very dense with PM 2.5 being the major pollutants). Even those whose cycles are costing about 25 k to 1 lac will still keep them at home or personal garages, to prevent them from being stolen.
3. Safety. The unruly traffic with severe road rage coupled with high stress of the people wanting to reach their destination on time through roads that have multiple speed breakers to slow them down actually compels them to speed up between two speed breakers. ( Yes there are as many as 26 speed breakers within 5 kms of road length in many places here) Most of them are big enough to damage the car bottom. Nobody wants to risk their life on such roads. And so early morning rides and weekend rides it is for fitness, recreation and socializing.
4. Cycling infrastructure. This is a hippocratic farce. The red painted roads are just 20 meters in length, yes you read that right, and using camera angle, the viewers feel that Pune has cycling infrastructure. Only J M road has a well developed road with walking paths, cycling paths, and a road for regular traffic. But guess what, you cannot cycle there too because so many people are walking and bollards are placed such that you cannot cycle there. So again this is on paper, but nothing in practicality.
In conclusion, it is nice of you to make a hopeful video, but the reality is contrary to expectations. If you want real world factual videos of what cycling in Pune is, let me know. I don't call myself a spandex wearing cyclist. I've never even owned such apparel.
I'm just an old dude, who finds happiness, freedom, and flexibility of movement on my cycle wearing regular day to day clothing of jeans and Tshirt. And I've done it since being a toddler. And will pedal my way to the grave too.
Atb,
That Travelling Guy....

[@DiscerningCyclist]

Thanks for your comment. That's really interesting. Would you be open to an interview that we can include in our article on the topic?
Drop me an email at [e-mail] if so.
Best,
Pete

[@thattravellingguy]

@@DiscerningCyclist sure. Why not. Will send you a mail soon.

[@parbxi100]

@DiscerningCyclist I am a Pune resident in my 30s and mostly agree with this comment. I used to cycle down to my high school 15-20 years back, but the same route is very difficult for today's kids. Pune is dominated by petrol two wheelers and the bicycle has an image issue. There is definitely a surge in cycling post lockdown, but that is limited to recreation and fitness. I re-discovered the joy of cycling 5 years back and have done more than 10,000km in re-creational cycling, exploring the greener outskirts of the city in the morning. However, office commuting on bicycle is not for the faint hearted in Pune. Lack of traffic discipline, congestion, wrong side driving, road rage is a serious problem in Pune and its seriously life threatening for the average cyclist. Very few cycle tracks in Pune are actually functional. They are encroached upon by parking and hawkers. Initiatives like allowing the bicycle on board the Pune metro is beneficial for last mile connectivity. I think there is still lots of potential for Pune residents to adopt cycling at least in their neighborhood for short commutes (less than 5 km). It will definitely make a positive change.

[@scruf153]

cars makes people poor