Narain's condition was reported to be stable on Monday.
Saurabh Ahuja cycles only around India Gate and Lodi Road, early in the morning. He had been hit by a car while pedaling at Netaji Subhash Place near the flyover. "I was taken to a hospital by a passerby but that experience shook me. I don't want to die cycling. There are no cycle tracks near my place in North Delhi," says Ahuja, a businessman, who used to ride with cycling groups earlier.
Preet Chatwal, who works in the hospitality industry, was hit by an Innova a few months ago when he was going from Gurgaon to Faridabad. "I couldn't cycle for a month. I think the government has been wasting a lot of money on making disconnected cycle tracks. In reality, our space is encroached upon by other vehicles and the government doesn't do anything about it," he says. Constant honking to push the cyclist to the edge and bullying by other vehicles is a regular feature.
People who don't have a choice are more confident. Giriraj Lal, a driver, says he has learnt to ride very carefully. "Every cyclist has to be careful. There is less space because there are lots of vehicles," he says. Jack Leenars, who runs a bicycle tour initiative in Delhi, feels that most colony roads are safe. "Size matters on Delhi's roads. Infrastructure apart, I feel mentality is the key here. The fact that a car hit Sunita Narain and fled is so shameful and selfish," he says.
"One of the biggest hurdles to cycling in Delhi is not the aggressive traffic or even the poor road conditions, as one can get accustomed to these with practice," says Marcus Santiago, an illustrator and comic book artist. "The biggest single problem is lack of safe parking. I would not be allowed to park my bicycle in parking lots, unlike a biker, even if I offered to pay. I cannot afford to lose my cycle as it costs Rs 35,000. I had taken a bank loan to buy it and I know the cops would be of no help if someone stole it."
Swati Dasgupta, who teaches in Delhi University, has stopped cycling on the main roads. She cycles from Gulmohar Park to Hauz Khas or Siri Fort often on small errands but wishes her cycle had a rear-view mirror. "I keep turning back as too many big vehicles seem to be behind me. It's very unsafe to ride on the main road."
Nalin Sinha, coordinator of Delhi Cycling Club, can't forget a neardeath experience when he was hit by a dumper near India Gate. "It almost killed me. Cars and bigger vehicles don't respect the cyclist's right to the road. Interestingly, Delhi has more than 100 km of cycling tracks according to official data but no enforcement," says Nalin, whose group has 1300 members in Delhi and rest of NCR. Shreya Gadepalli of Institute for Transportation and Development Policy is not surprised. "Delhi unfortunately has gone in the wrong direction. The city seems to be almost addicted to personal motor vehicles," she says. Shreya attributes this trend to the policy in Delhi of having many flyovers and signal-free corridors. "Speed wins in Delhi. It's very unfortunate that one of the strongest proponents of non-motorized transport had to be the victim in an accident like this."
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