A section of Calcuttans has demanded that political parties include in their manifestos steps ahead of the Assembly polls they would take to tackle air pollution and create infrastructure so that cyclists could be out in more numbers.

A number of cyclists raised the demand at a gathering outside Elliot Park on Wednesday, which was also attended by tram and nature lovers.

The cyclists said a large number of Calcuttans commute between 5km and 6km daily. They called on the government to create dedicated cycle bays so the distance could be covered by bicycles, which would result in lower carbon emission.

If separate lanes can be set up, bicycles won't interfere with the average speed of vehicles, the cyclists argued.

“We are asking parties to commit in their manifestos that cycles would be at the centre of their urban mobility plans,” said Vinay Jaju, the founder of Bengal Clean Air Network.

“We are also demanding more use of trams and electric vehicles. Let all parties include urban green cover and waste management and waste segregation in their manifestos.”

Several cyclists referred to the Comprehensive Mobility Planning, a report prepared by the state urban development department in 2008, and said commuting less than three kilometres comprised around 60 per cent of daily commuting in Calcutta.

“So, given the average length of commute, Calcutta is a very cycleable city. We are not saying that things will have to change overnight, but at least certain small steps can be taken to reduce pollution levels,” said Satanjib Gupta, the “bicycle mayor” of Calcutta, an honorary position given by the Amsterdam-based BYCS, an organisation that promotes cycling across the globe.

“Let there be some route plans which cyclists can be encouraged to take. We are possibly moving the opposite way of global mobility planning for cities.”

Cyclists hit the roads in Calcutta in large numbers during the early days of the Covid pandemic. On the fringes, including stretches of VIP Road and Jessore Road, and even in the city proper, many people had begun cycling to their workplaces to avoid public transport.

In December, after suburban train services resumed and accidents involving cyclists started going up, police had launched a drive urging cyclists to stay away from the thoroughfares.

A section of cycle enthusiasts had then written to the commissioner of Calcutta police with an appeal to allow bicycles to ply on all roads.

“The urban development department has started a survey on whether cycling can be allowed on some of the roads and we have given our inputs with specific reasons,” said a senior police officer at Lalbazar. “In a city with just about six per cent road space, it is a tall order to have dedicated cycling bays.”

But environment lovers who came together on Wednesday argued that Calcutta lacked any clear plan for creating infrastructure that would help reduce air pollution. They said several cities such as Pune, Nagpur and Warangal had started building cycle bays during the pandemic.