If we, at a wide scale, adopt cycle as the only mode of transport, India can save over Rs 1.8 lakh crore ($255 billion) annually, or 1.6% of the GDP, says a report published by think-tank The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
These results will ensue if Indians switched over from cars and motorcycles to bicycles, for half of all the work-related travel under 8 kilometres, said the report.
As of now, people prefer to walk which also makes it the most popular mode of short-distance, work-related trips across the country, followed by cycling in villages and motorbikes in cities.
Over the decade, the number of two-wheelers and cars on the road have increased by 10 per cent, however the ownership of bicycles has stagnated during the period.
f humans switch over to bicycles from fossil fuel-based vehicles, the biggest benefit they will derive out of it is better individual health.
The report estimates that choosing a bicycle over an automobile for half of all short-distance work trips can save 4,756 premature deaths over 15 years.
Encouraging Indians to start cycling again
The biggest challenge is to raise the popularity of cycling. In 1954, more than 57 per cent of people living in Indian cities used to commute on bicycles, says the TERI data from 2014.
Today, less than 6 per cent-8 per cent of people use cycles to commute in urban areas.
Despite being the eco-friendliest mode of transportation, cycles have disappeared from roads over time. TERI report suggests providing cycle tracks on all new and existing arterial and sub-arterial roads.