Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Streetsblog.net

Could Delhi Transform Its Polluted Canal System Into Verdant Bikeways?

Thanks this morning to City Parks Blog for tipping us off to this CNN report on what could be a revolutionary initiative in Delhi, India (you'll have to sit through a BASF ad to watch the video).

Architect Manit Rastogi is hoping to transform the city's polluted network of drainage canals, or nullahs, into clear-flowing streams with bicycle and pedestrian paths running alongside.

The project, says Rastogi, is about "fixing Delhi" with a holistic approach that's not just about clean water. It is also, he says, fundamentally about addressing "the lack of engagement of the people of the city with the city itself" by creating a safe infrastructure for non-motorized transportation. If Rastogi can get Delhi's recalcitrant bureaucracy to cooperate (yes, that's a big if) three pilot projects could be up and running by the end of the year.

In a city of 17 million that that adds 1,000 cars every day -- and where 47 percent of traffic fatalities are pedestrians -- it could be transformative. And it could also be replicated, in the developing world and in industrialized nations.

More from around the network: Bike Delaware News assesses the impact of complete streets legislation a year after it was signed into law. I Bike T.O. has an in-depth analysis of bike safety, vehicular cycling and the politics thereof. And How We Drive asks, what if everyone in the airport got to ride in those cool little carts? Wouldn't it be kind of like car culture?

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Five of the Ugliest Transportation Policies In the ‘Big, Beautiful’ Bill

Here's a rundown of some of the transportation provisions in the Republicans' reconciliation package, and what they might mean for your community.

July 10, 2025

Viva La Thursday’s Headlines

Why is French transit ridership up 10 percent since before the pandemic, while American transit ridership is down 23 percent?

July 10, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines Are Bigger and Beautiful-er

There's a lot of bad news in the Big Beautiful Bill — but it also may have helped kill a major highway expansion in Oregon.

July 9, 2025

Removing ‘Rainbow Crosswalks’ Won’t Make America’s Arterials Safer

Secretary Duffy wants to tackle dangerous arterials. So why is he coming after rainbow crosswalks most often seen on narrow city roads?

July 9, 2025

The ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Is About Our Transportation Future, Too

Transportation didn't get a lot of mention in the public discussion of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. But it's everywhere.

July 8, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines of Many Colors

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called rainbow crosswalks "a distraction" and called on cities to eliminate them.

July 8, 2025
See all posts