A number of Calcuttans held a demonstration on the Maidan on Sunday morning demanding that political parties speak for promoting cycling in the city and creating cycling-friendly infrastructure.

Several cycling groups were present at the demonstration. A Calcutta police order bans cycling on all arterial roads of the city.

While those advocating for allowing cycling on Calcutta’s roads say the ban is regressive and it discriminates in favour of the rich who own cars, the police have persistently held that cycling on arteries would lead to accidents.

Police officers say the city’s roads hardly have any space for cycling lanes.

“This is a non-negotiable demand. It is time political parties realised the need to promote sustainable transport like cycling. How long will Calcutta’s roads remain off-limits for cyclists? We want the political parties to commit that they will allow cycling in Calcutta and create safe cycling infrastructure in Calcutta as well as other cities of Bengal,” said Vinay Jaju, a member of the Bengal Clean Air Network that promotes cycling for cleaner air.

Transportation specialist Bhargab Maitra told Metro that he agreed with the demand of the cyclists but added that it should be accepted only after “a safe cycling infrastructure” is created.

“I am happy that demands to allow cycling are growing in Calcutta. The authorities have to adopt a massive transformation and accommodate sustainable transportation like cycling. People should be able to cover short trips by walking or cycling. We have to build infrastructure that allures people to walk, to cycle. Reducing footpath and widening roads to accommodate cars have not yielded any beneficial result,” said Maitra, a professor of civil engineering at IIT Kharagpur.

“I do not want the police to suddenly allow cycling without creating the necessary infrastructure so that cycling is safe. Certainly one would not desire accidents after cycles are allowed on roads. But we cannot further delay building that infrastructure. We are already pushed to the wall.”

A Calcuttan who has visited Amsterdam said the capital of The Netherlands had dedicated cycle lanes. The cyclists wait at traffic signals and cross a road only when the signal is green for them.

He expressed doubt how many cyclists in Calcutta were that disciplined.