SwitchON Foundation Organised a Multi-stakeholder Meeting on World Bicycle Day 2025

News Desk, News Nation 360 : SwitchON Foundation, with the cooperation of the Sustainable Transportation Network (SMN), hosted a multi-stakeholder event on World Bicycle Day 2025 in the historic Rammohan Library to highlight the possibilities of active transportation in shaping Kolkata's future. The event brought together senior government officials, transport planners, academics, and grassroots organisations to celebrate Kolkata's progress towards inclusive and sustainable urban transportation. Eminent speakers included Dr Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, and Ashwathy Dilip, South Asia Director, ITDP, who participated electronically. Dr Anumita Roy Chowdhury stated that Kolkata has taken significant steps by including cycling and non-motorised transit into its policy frameworks. Now, the true opportunity is to put those plans into action. If they reimagine their urban planning to promote walking and cycling, they can create a city that is healthier, more accessible, and sustainable for everyone. The SwitchON Foundation has released its "Speed Mapping Report," a detailed, data-driven report of urban mobility in Kolkata, about Tier-II cities such as Durgapur and Dhanbad. The study was carried out from April 23rd to May 6th, 2025, and covered 14 major traffic corridors in Kolkata, such as VIP Road and Esplanade, during rush hours. The report puts under the spotlight that Kolkata stands at a crucial point of inflexion, with chronic congestion, poor public transport, and a pressing requirement for investment in non-motorised mobility infrastructure. Key findings indicate that cycling usually performs better than motorised transport and surpasses cars on 60% of analysed corridors and achieves bus speed in sections such as Tollygunge Phari in peak hours. Public transport, especially buses, is in a crisis, frequently moving at 10–15 km/h on busy sections such as Dum Dum Road, due to the lack of exclusive bus lanes and inefficient signal prioritisation. As a result, public transport speeds trail far behind private means, with motorcycles and autos posting speeds of more than 22 km/h on major corridors where bus speeds range from 12–15 km/h. In comparison with Tier-II cities, Kolkata has more congestion; e.g., while Kolkata's autos travel at 12.6 km/h, autos in Durgapur and Dhanbad travel up to 26.9 km/h, which shows smooth traffic movement in Tier-II cities. Bicycles have the highest speeds across the city, and the introduction of e-rickshaws in Tier-II cities at 11–19.3 km/h shows increasing micro-mobility requirements. The report also associates a 50% decrease in the speed of vehicles in Kolkata compared to Durgapur with a notable increase in vehicle registrations: 4-wheelers rose more than five times since 2016, and 2-wheelers doubled.

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