There’s no easy way to describe 2021. With the country reeling under the second wave of COVID-19, there was distress and grief all over India.

But shortly after that, vaccinations came in, and so did hope. Borders opened up, families reunited, friends got together, businesses restarted, people had smiles again, albeit under their masks. We have come out stronger, warmer, and more resilient than ever before. 

Despite the roller-coaster year that 2021 was, we at ITDP India are proud of what we’ve been able to collectively achieve with the support of our partners.

Here’s a look back at our top 10 wins from 2021:

1. 25 cities pioneer India’s Cycling Challenge: Turning the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in partnership with ITDP India, launched three national level Challenges—India Cycles4Change, Streets4People, and Transport4All. Over a 100 cities participated in Stage 1 of the Cycles4Change Challenge—cities tried bold temporary transformations including pilot cycle tracks and cycle repair clinics, and involved their citizens in elevating their efforts through surveys and feedback.
   
   25 cities—India’s cycling pioneers—were shortlisted to move into Stage 2, of which 11 cities won the ‘Top Awardees’ and 4 cities received the ‘Jury Special Mention’. We are excited to start work with the cities for Stage 2 to make the pilot interventions permanent!
   
   Do check out our exclusive publication—The Dawn of a Cycling Revolution—that covers EVERYTHING about Stage 1.

2. 150 open street events pave the way to build healthy, happy streets through the Streets4People Challenge: …and nearly 1.5 lakh people attended these events!
   
   Yes, you read that right. India witnessed more than 150 ‘open street’ events that brought together over 1.5 lakh people on the streets to enjoy their space without cars, through the Streets4People Challenge. 
   
   100 Indian cities took to the Challenge to reimagine streets as safe, happy, and healthy public spaces. Cities launched design competitions to crowdsource ideas and pilot the winning entries on ground. The impact echoed nation-wide with more partnerships being formed with architects and designers, civil society organisations, academic institutions, start-ups, and technical partners—making it one of India’s most collaborative Challenges.
   
   Stage 1 concluded this year, with 30 cities being shortlisted to move into Stage 2. Winners of Stage 1 will be announced in January ’22. We can’t wait to see how these cities transform their streets into vibrant public spaces!

3. In pursuit of inclusivity and equality, the Transport4All Challenge may be a game-changer: Cities thrive on the opportunity of work and play, and the options available to easily access them. To help make sense of urban life since the pandemic, India’s Transport4All Challenge will guide cities to test solutions, learn from them, and scale-up efforts to build people’s trust in public transport.
   
   30 cities engaged with over 2 lakh citizens, 15,000 bus drivers and conductors, and 20,000 informal public transport drivers to understand their concerns at large, as part of Stage 1. Cities will use insights from these surveys to frame problem statements, and support startups to create solutions through digital innovation to improve public transport at large.

4. Freedom2Walk&Cycle launched as part of Prime Minister Modi’s ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’: Aligned with the India Cycles4Change and Streets4People Challenges, MoHUA in collaboration with ITDP India, launched the Freedom2Walk&Cycle Campaign to ensure health, safety and empowerment for all people, through walking and cycling. Over 100 Indian cities celebrated  Freedom2Walk&Cycle and rolled out 220+ events. Nearly 850+ km of cycling initiatives and 150+ km of walking initiatives were launched. From conducting women-only-cycle rallies and cyclothons for children, to hosting street walks with the elderly, cities rolled out special events to ensure every single citizen was included and felt welcome.

5. Pune inaugurates Pashan-Sus Road on its first Pedestrian Day: Pune inaugurated a 500m stretch of Pashan-Sus Road—which was tested as part of the Streets4People Challenge— with a new footpath, cycle track, seaters, open gym, skateboard plaza, and a play zone for kids. The Road was inaugurated on 11th December ’21, on the occasion of Pune Pedestrians’ Day—celebrated for the first time in India. Several local NGOs along with ITDP India supported the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in planning and executing India’s first Pedestrian Day. Pune observed this milestone day with several activities planned to spotlight pedestrian safety. One of the highlights: PMC closed off a stretch of its famous (and over crowded) shopping destination—Laxmi Road— to cars and bikes, and reclaimed the street for its pedestrians.
   
   We hope that all cities in India and the world are inspired by Pune, and celebrate their pedestrians too, by creating walking infrastructure that is safe, comfortable and accessible for all.
   
   

6. Pimpri Chinchwad adopts a progressive Non-Motorised transport Policy: After months of meetings, discussions, and inputs from officials, politicians, NGOs, and citizens, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) finally adopted the Non-Motorised Transport (NMT) Policy—a progressive policy that focuses on prioritizing walking and cycling.
   
   Following the adoption, ITDP India along with the partners, organised a NMT capacity building workshop for over 400 PCMC Engineers, with experts presenting on various topics of street design.

7. Getting the momentum started with ‘Quick win Streets’ in Chennai: Through the Mega Streets project (launched in 2020), the Greater Chennai Corporation has started work to transform 120km of streets in six distinct types of neighbourhoods. The project will ensure seamless mobility, enhanced livability & well-managed utilities in all arterial & sub-arterial streets of the neighbourhoods. 
   
   The Corporation will first begin revamping 25km of ‘Quick win streets’ in the six neighbourhoods, redesigned by urban designers from across the country. As technical advisors to the Corporation, ITDP India is excited to support in creating these neighbourhood into walking, cycling and shopping plazas.

8. Chennai pilots the integration of electric micro-mobility with city buses: ITDP India collaborated with Greater Chennai Corporation, Metropolitan Transport Corporation, Transport Department, and Public Bicycle Sharing agency SmartBike, to integrate bikeshare stations with key bus terminals to achieve last-mile connectivity gains. The first pilot was done at the KK Nagar bus terminal in September ’21.
   
   The bus terminal and e-bike integration pilot in Chennai paved the way for India’s first bicycle sharing station with electric charging points. Post a six-month trial run of ‘at-station charging’ at the KK Nagar terminal, the approach can be replicated at other stations throughout the city.

9. Ranchi’s #ShanivarNoCar gets people walking and cycling: Leveraging the India Cycles4Change and Streets4People Challenges, Ranchi Municipal Corporation and Ranchi Smart City Corporation Limited in consultation with ITDP India, CSOs and citizen groups, launched the #ShanivarNoCar campaign—an appeal to the public to ditch the car every Saturday, and cycle or walk instead.
   
   

Please use cycles— whenever and wherever possible—to make a greener Ranchi.
–Sri Hemant Soren, Jharkhand’s Chief Minister

10. ITDP India hosts 18 workshops and produces 120+ guidance documents for the three national Challenges: As the knowledge partners, ITDP India conducted capacity-building workshops & provided technical and communication expertise through guidance documents, templates for outreach, and case studies. Check out the vast library of resources for India Cycles4Change, Streets4People & Transport4All Challenge on their websites.

We take this moment to acknowledge the contributions of our many partners, who make our work and wins possible. Our deepest gratitude to our funders for supporting our work. Our heartfelt thanks to the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs and Government officials—at the national, state, and city levels—for collaborating with us to create a walking, cycling, and public transport transformation in India. We’d also like to thank the transport community—NGOs, consultants, mobility experts, academic institutes, CSOs, and individuals—who care about our cities and make things happen on-ground. We do what we do because of their never-ending support!

Our list of thanks is incomplete without a special shoutout to the team at ITDP India— both present & past—who bring their passion to work every day, to create healthy streets, healthy cities, and happy lives. 

Here’s bidding adieu to 2021. We can’t wait to see what 2022 has in store for us!

Wishing you all a safe, healthy, and happy New Year.

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By Aishwarya Soni & Kashmira Dubash

We are excited to announce the appointment of Aswathy Dilip as the ITDP South Asia Director.

Prior to her new role, Aswathy was a Senior Programme Manager at ITDP India, leading our technical team in carrying out nation-wide sustainable mobility strategies and interventions. 

Today, Aswathy is a sought-after expert in raising support for sustainable mobility from key decision makers, governments and stakeholders. Her leadership was greatly recognised through her most recent accomplishment in managing India’s first walking, cycling and public transport movement, through the national-level Challenges!

We also take this opportunity to bid adieu to Shreya Gadepalli, who successfully steered the ITDP India Programme for over 23 years. Shreya’s experience and inspiring leadership has been a huge asset to the organisation. We wish her the very best for her future endeavours. 

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With the combination of her experience, work-ethic and passion, we believe Aswathy is most suited for our next stages of growth. It’s time to get to know her a little better!

Five questions with Aswathy Dilip

Q1 Tell us about an accomplishment that shaped your career.

Last year, we were able to expand from state-level to national-level programmes with the launch of three challenges—India Cycles4Change, Streets4People, and Transport4All—in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. This kickstarted a sustainable mobility revolution in the country! More than 140 cities are participating in these programmes, embracing the test-learn-scale mantra which encourages cities to try bold temporary transformations before making them permanent.

It was heartening to see that citizens were at the heart of this transformation during stage 1. The design solutions were tailor-made through citizen engagement and feedback. The impact echoed nation-wide with more partnerships being formed with civil society organisations, academic institutions, start-ups, and technical partners – making it one of India’s most collaborative challenges. This I believe is the success story, which reinforces my belief—that alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.

Q2 How do you think the pandemic has changed the workings of the organisation?

The pandemic was tremendously challenging and it forced all of us to embrace behavioural change that may have otherwise taken decades. With a ban on travel, government bodies across the country embraced technology, which we are leveraging through our online training programmes. Today, we are able to support many more cities across the entire nation from Bangalore in the south to Chandigarh in the north, from Kohima in the east to Surat in the west.  It also gave us the opportunity to partner with experts across the world who shared their global learnings to inspire change locally.

Internally too, our team members were able to break through the invisible boundaries of the regions where our offices were located, and are collaborating nationally. This enabled us to build resilience within the team. We now also look forward to sharing our learnings with countries across the world to inspire change globally (all smiles).

Q3 What do you hope to accomplish within the next year?

As you may have heard, our Prime Minister set an ambitious commitment to achieve net zero targets by 2070, at COP26. Though the target has a span of 50 years, every year is crucial. Kickstarting next year, we look forward to stage 2 of our national level challenges where we will be working with cities to scale-up their walking, cycling, and public transport interventions. The designs tested by cities during stage 1, now need to become a permanent, tangible transformation. We are committed to making this happen!

We are also channeling our efforts to work towards the adoption of e-mobility in India – specially public transport, informal public transport, and micro mobility fleet. Our focus is to work with the State Transport Undertakings for procurement and operations of electric buses; as well as work with the private sector to create a roadmap for their transition to e-buses. 

Q4 Imagine yourself in three years. What do you hope will be different about you then compared to now?

As a personal goal, I definitely want to embrace a better work-life balance. I look forward to exploring art, improving my singing, traveling to unknown destinations, and spreading my love for meditation.
 
At the organisational front, I certainly want ITDP India to be a part of collaborative networks.  I would like ITDP to be a catalyst in bringing together various stakeholders to transform our cities into healthy and liveable urban centres.

And finally…

Q5 What is harder: being a mother of two or Director of one?

No doubts, being a mother of two wonderful boys who often drive me up the wall! However, I must credit them for shaping my patience and perseverance that definitely gives me an edge at work.

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We, at ITDP India, look forward to an exciting future under Aswathy’s leadership, and we hope to collaborate with you to further our vision: to create healthy streets, healthy cities, and happy lives. 

Stay tuned for more updates!

You can connect with Aswathy on LinkedIn
Connect with ITDP India on LinkedIn 

Written by Kashmira Dubash

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc across the globe with governments initiating immediate and stringent responses to control the spread of the virus, including the imposition of lockdowns and travel restrictions. These restrictions have had immense social and economic costs, disrupting global supply chains, social interaction, and access to livelihoods. Although these costs are borne by everyone, they have exacerbated the pre-existing inequalities and disadvantages for women. Even before the pandemic, there was an urgent need to improve mobility for women. As we come out of lockdown and work towards a green recovery, cycling can play an important role in improving women’s mobility. 

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Pandemic or not, women’s mobility in Indian cities has never been easy. Several factors, such as the lack of last mile connectivity, poor or no footpaths, and unreliable public transport services make everyday travel for women a nightmare. The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent national lockdown worsened these existing difficulties. 

To understand the impact of the lockdown on women’s mobility, the ITDP India Programme conducted a study in May 2020. Through online surveys and conversations with experts working in the field of gender and urban spaces, we found that the lack of options for mobility was one of the biggest obstacles for women during the lockdown. In India, women depend more on public transport than men ^[1]. The lockdown and the subsequent halt to public transport operations adversely impacted their access to jobs and education.

There is an urgent need for a renewed, gendered focus on urban mobility that prioritises women and their requirements. Other than a necessary focus on improving public transport options, the pandemic has highlighted the need for affordable and sustainable options for women’s mobility to compete in a post-COVID 19 economy. Cycling can play an important role to address this as a sustainable and equitable mode of transport. 

Firoza Suresh, the bicycle mayor of Mumbai, argues that providing cycles along with training programmes for women not only helps them access jobs and education, but also enhances their freedom. She shared the story of a woman who spoke on what cycling would mean for her – “It will be great if you can train me [in cycling]. I don’t have to depend on my husband. If you teach me how to cycle, I will teach it to as many women as possible. Because cycling will give us freedom, it will give us independence.”

What the lockdown did

A complete shutdown of public transport (PT) during the lockdown had a grave impact on women for several reasons. According to Census 2011, women in India make eight out of ten trips on foot, cycle, or PT. With little to no access to personal motor vehicles (unlike their male counterparts), women largely depend on public transport, like buses, sub-urban rail, and metro. In places where PT is not easily available, women rely on Informal Public Transport (IPT) which includes shared autos, mini buses, and rickshaws.

With all PT services halted, the lockdown led to unexpected social and economic consequences for women. According to Nandita Baruah, Country Representative in India of The Asia Foundation, most women who work in the informal sector faced a daunting possibility. If they were unable to get to work or took longer, due to the reduced frequency or unavailability of PT and IPT, the employers would simply choose to bring men to work.

Some cities have PT options that are expensive and unaffordable. This also impacts women more than men. Tara Krishnaswamy of the Citizens for Bengaluru pointed out that, “Urban women are always cash constrained because they do not have a cash buffer like men do. So, if you design mobility systems that have an upfront payment—like a pass—it becomes very difficult for them.” Especially with diminished family earnings, following job losses in the informal sector due to the pandemic, expensive public transport fares force women to take up low paying, riskier jobs that may require less travel.

Urban women are always cash-constrained because they do not have a cash buffer like men do. So, if you design mobility systems that have an upfront payment—like a pass—it becomes very difficult for them.
– Tara Krishnaswamy, a founding member of Citizens for Bengaluru, on expensive and unaffordable public transport

Highlighting that halting PT services impacts women disproportionately, Karen Coelho of the Madras Institute of Development Studies pointed out that women either had to depend on the men in their family for travel or drop out of the work force altogether. In a national survey conducted by the ITDP India Programme to understand people’s travel choices post-lockdown, 41 per cent of female respondents said they did not have any personal motor vehicles, compared to only 17 percent of male respondents. Underlining the significance of mobility in women’s lives, Karen Coelho argues that, “The key concept is autonomy. As long as women are not autonomous in their movement, and are dependent on male family members, they are not mobile.” There is a need to create independent avenues of transport—such as cycling—that provide social and economic mobility for women and reduce their dependence on others. 

The key concept is autonomy. As long as women are not autonomous in their movement, and are dependent on male family members, they are not mobile.
– Karen Coelho, Madras Institute of Development Studies, on the significance of mobility in women’s lives

Cycles for Change

The national government has recognised cycling as an important step towards a green recovery from COVID-19. In June, the Smart Cities Mission of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched the India Cycles4Change Challenge to inspire and support cities to implement cycling-friendly initiatives in response to COVID-19. Most importantly, it mandates cities to place the community at the centre of planning and implementation, and encourage participation from diverse groups such as women, children, and the disabled. 

As part of the Challenge, cities have been working on three unique areas that will eventually increase the viability of cycling as an option for women’s mobility. These include initiatives such as training programmes to empower more women to access and use cycles, infrastructural interventions to ensure road safety and personal security, and awareness campaigns to inspire more women to cycle.

Improving access to cycles

Karen Coelho highlights the fact that cycling will work only when women have access to cycles.  According to ITDP India Programme’s survey, 6 out of 10 female respondents said they knew how to ride, but only 1 had a cycle. Providing women with access to cycles through affordable and robust public bicycle sharing programmes, community cycle rental schemes, and training camps for those who need to learn cycling are the first steps to make it a viable option for women. As part of the India Cycles4Change Challenge, several cities such as Kohima, New Town Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Mangaluru, Tumakuru, Jabalpur, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, and Nashik have launched unique initiatives such as cycle training camps and free cycle repair clinics.

Women’s cycle rally and training programme for women and children in New Town Kolkata; Free cycle repair clinic in Kohima

Improving safety and security

Firoza Suresh also points out that road safety and personal security are two significant concerns for women while considering a shift to cycling. Since the launch of the Challenge in July 2020, 50 cities across the country have launched perception surveys to understand barriers that citizens face while cycling. With over half a lakh responses, the survey suggested that the biggest barriers faced by men and women while cycling are speeding vehicles, traffic congestion, and poor road surface due to potholes. Issues such as lack of cycle parking, obstructions by parked vehicles, and poor street lighting were also highlighted. According to the survey, 49% of women find cycling unsafe in main roads, while 34% fear cycling in city junctions. The survey also brought out another important concern for women while cycling—one out of every five women said they fear eve-teasing while cycling on the streets. 

As part of the Challenge, the core working team of 52 cities include women members to better address the needs of women for a safer cycling experience. Vadodara has appointed an ‘inclusivity manager’ and Karnataka has conducted a round table discussion to understand the challenges faced by women cyclists.  Cities are actively working on creating inclusive streets that are safe for all users. 

Awareness campaigns

Active participation and support from key stakeholders is crucial to the success of any initiative. To hear personal accounts of women on how cycling has empowered them and given them the freedom of mobility, the #SheCycles4Change and #Cycle2Freedom campaign was launched on 15 August 2020. Through the campaign, women shared their first experience of cycling, stories of achievement, and ideas of how cycling can be made safer for them. The objective was to inspire more women to support their cities in the Challenge and demand safe and high-quality cycling infrastructure. 

Stories shared by women across India as part of the #SheCycles4Change #Cycles2Freedom campaign

The pandemic has created massive difficulties for women, and it is imperative that we do something about it. The country cannot recover if half of its population continues to suffer from these hurdles in a post-COVID era. Together with the cities registered in the India Cycles4Change Challenge, civil society organisations, citizen groups, and local businesses, let’s make India a cycling haven for women. 

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If you are a civil society organisation, consultant, corporate, or concerned citizen eager to support your city in improving cycling for women in the India Cycles4Change Challenge, register here – https://bit.ly/30L0vnd

This article is part of a series of articles on the India Cycles4Change Challenge. 

Read Part 1 on the Launch of the India Cycles4Change Challenge

Read Part 2 on 10 ways you can make India a cycling nation

Read Part 3 on the cities’ campaigns and collaboration with their citizens

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We are deeply grateful to the experts who shared thier valuable views on the topic with us.

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Written by Aila Bandagi 

Expert interviews conducted by Aila Bandagi and Keshav Suryanarayanan

Edited by Avishek Jha and Aishwarya Soni  

[1] Census 2011: 27% of all work trips made by women are on bus and rail. 20% of all work trips made by men are on bus and rail.