Pune: Women in Kasturba Vasahat opt for cycles for daily commute
Aundh, 22nd February 2025: Parisar conducted a bicycle distribution programme for women in Kasturba Vasahat, Aundh on 21st February. This event is part of a comprehensive pilot programme of the Pune Cycle Partnership, which is an integral part of the Comprehensive Bicycle Plan for Pune.
The bicycles, donated by citizens from Pune, were refurbished and given to 14 women by MLA Siddharth Shirole. At the event, Shirole said, “It is great that due to the work and interest of organisations, women in the vasti get opportunities and access to mobility and its benefits. This has the potential of a movement, where more women will want to cycle by seeing these women using bicycles.”
Mangala Mahajan, a Sanskrit Teacher by profession and a regular cyclist in the city, shared her stories of cycling in the city, and also how people had taken to cycling after seeing how she cycles everywhere in the city.
One of the recipients, Usha Umap said, “With the bicycle, I can also take up jobs which are slightly farther. Until now, I had to refuse many jobs because I couldn’t travel there in time.”
The Comprehensive Bicycle Plan for Pune, made in 2016, consists of various measures to promote cycling in the city like an extensive cycle track network in the city and public bicycle system. The plan also has an important chapter on how to engage different stakeholders so that they take up cycling and a cycling culture may be created in the city again. For the past two years, Parisar, supported by Praj Industries, has taken up elements in this partnership at a pilot level. These include school session modules, implementing School Travel Improvement Guidelines for safe school zones, regular cycle rides for citizens and a comprehensive cycle track audit of the city.
As of now, there has been little to no implementation of the bicycle plan. Parisar, along with other organisations like SPTM, CEE are demanding that the PMC set up an official Pune Cycle Partnership, which can scale up the pilot interventions made by Parisar in the past two years.
