Measuring the quality of bicycle routes in Pune, India: A field survey to measure bicycle route quality as part of the sustainable transport initiative in Pune, India

Pune, a city of three million people in India is facing traffic problems due to an increasing volume of vehicles. In order to reduce pollution and traffic congestion the municipality created an ambitious policy on improving bicycle infrastructure and cycling. However, after finishing the first bicycle routes in recent times, the usage of these routes remains rather low. A survey was developed to obtain information about the strengths and the weaknesses of bicycle routes in Pune using a Dutch methodology as a basis. After conducting the survey on two bicycle routes, the information obtained shows the safety, directness and comfort degree of the bicycle routes. Observations show that Pune takes bicycle routes seriously, but aspects as uniform signage and attention for cyclists at intersections still pose challenges. The information obtained is used to suggest improvements for the routes. Furthermore, the survey developed in this research might be useful to measure other bicycle routes in emerging economies.