In this powerful Impact Stories episode, Ankit Chauhan sits down with a second‑generation Ludhiana bicycle manufacturer and industry leader to ask a tough question: “Why are cyclists still not safe in India?” From Delhi’s toxic air and exploding vehicle ownership to the complete absence of safe cycling lanes in “smart cities”, this conversation exposes how India’s cities became car‑centric and what it will take to bring cycles back.
The guest shares the inside story of India’s cycle industry from Partition to today – how Ludhiana became India’s bicycle capital, how Indian cycles once beat China, and why kids’ bicycles for export now follow strict European safety standards while Indian roads still lack basic protected cycle tracks. You will also hear how policies like GST, grey market competition, and weak enforcement hurt organised manufacturers, even as government schemes buy lakhs of bicycles for students but fail to build safe routes for them to ride.
For Delhi‑NCR viewers, this episode is a reality check on air pollution, traffic, and health: why short trips under 2–3 km are still done by scooters and cars, how cyclists are many times more vulnerable to road fatalities than car users, and how a shift to non‑motorised transport could cut emissions and save thousands of lives each year. The guest narrates a real story of his own driver reversing diabetes just by cycling to work, proving how cycles can transform personal health if cities make it safe to ride.
The discussion also dives into policy and infrastructure: broken promises of Smart City cycling tracks, missing dedicated lanes in new urban road designs, and how departmental silos mean highways get widened while non‑motorised transport users are ignored. You will understand why India needs state‑of‑the‑art cycling infrastructure – protected lanes, strict traffic enforcement, and public awareness – instead of only cheaper loans and tax breaks for motor vehicles👇
Timestamps / Chapters (SEO‑optimised):
00:00 – Why cycling is “not safe” in India today (Delhi roads, traffic, fear)
02:00 – From Sialkot to Ludhiana: Partition, sports goods, and birth of a cycle business
04:00 – How Ludhiana became India’s bicycle hub & component ecosystem
06:30 – India vs China: When Indian cycle exports were No.1 – and what changed
09:00 – Govt incentives, export boom & how policy helped (then stalled)
11:30 – Children’s bicycle boom, school schemes & GST shock
14:00 – Grey market, “half bill” culture and impact on organised manufacturers
17:00 – Why Indian cities don’t build safe cycling lanes (Smart City myth)
20:00 – Delhi air pollution, car ads everywhere & no push for cycles
23:00 – Health story: driver’s diabetes reversed by daily cycling
26:00 – E‑scooters, EV policies, and why 25 kmph vehicles don’t get finance
29:00 – Exporting kids’ cycles to Europe vs quality and safety standards in India
32:00 – Sharp edges, child safety, reflectors & BIS standards
35:00 – Why foreign players don’t enter Indian cycle manufacturing easily
38:00 – Militancy years, curfews and resilience of Ludhiana’s factories
41:00 – Backward integration: the battle to set up a steel plant
45:00 – What India must do next: policy, infrastructure, and cycling culture
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