Build bicycle lanes and people will cycle, a global mantra of bicycle-friendly cities from Copenhagen in Denmark to Paris in France. Cycling infrastructure is marred with notions of “not having enough cyclists on the road” for dedicated safe cycle lanes. In a bid to highlight the use of safe cycle lanes with robust data, Doddanekundi, a residential area in Bangalore has introduced India’s first bicycle counter installed under the @SuMA_Dnekundi project in collaboration with @DULTBangalore and @SensingLocal.

Suma-Doddanekundi is an innovative public-private project that aims to spearhead a shift to sustainable modes of transport by creating a robust network of “complete streets” that support cycling and walking and provide direct, safe routes connecting neighbourhoods, transit hubs, employment areas and other destinations in Doddanekundi. 

The LiveBicycleCounter is located next to the ORR cycle lane in #Doddanekundi. It will help in collecting usage data, make the impact of the newly introduced cycle lane more visible & encourage cycling in the area.

Nihar Thakkar who has worked on the project mentioned on Twitter, a microblogging platform, that the live cycle counter is able to distinguish between bicycles and all other types of vehicles and will count only cyclists in the cycle lane & service road in both directions.”

“It’s able to distinguish between bicycles and all other types of vehicles and will count only cyclists in the cycle lane & service road in both directions,” added Thakkar.

The “LiveBiCycleCounter” can provide decision-makers with unique tools to help them manage their active transportation network. The data from the project can provide insights into cyclist and pedestrian planning.

The bicycle counters are used in Denmark, Australia, Germany, the United States, Holland, Spain and Canada among 40 other countries.

Suma-Doddanekundi project brought together residents, government officials, cycling enthusiasts and technical professionals. This initiative is supported under the Sustainable Urban Mobility Accord (SuMA) launched by the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT).

The project aims to spearhead a shift to sustainable modes of transport by creating a robust network of “complete streets” that support cycling and walking, and provide direct, safe routes connecting neighbourhoods, transit hubs, employment areas and other destinations in Doddanekundi.