Bicycling Ban Sparks Outrage in Kolkata

What would Gandhi do? Probably not undertake the measures the enlightened leaders of Kolkata have decided will improve the city's traffic flow.

"A ban on cycling in one of India’s most polluted and crowded cities has sparked protests in recent days and reignited civic debate over the country’s attitudes toward its poor — many of whom cannot afford even a bus ride — and its commitment to addressing air quality," reports Annie Gowen. "Although bike travel will be allowed on some streets after business hours, activists say the new restrictions are tantamount to a ban on cycling in the entire city. They say the measure makes no sense at a time when traffic and air pollution are worsening in Asia."

“It’s absolutely off-track, and they need to reverse it,” said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director for research and advocacy at the Center for Science and Environment in New Delhi. “In our part of the world, we need to keep people on cycles and public transport, not force them into cars.”