CST-India hosted a film screening about the benefits of cycling.

More than 250 residents of Bandra, a suburban neighborhood in northern Mumbai, learned about the benefits of cycling on May 30 during a special screening of three short documentary films produced by New York-based Streetfilms.

The public movie screenings were organized by Khar-Bandra-Santacruz (KBS) Foundation, with the support of the Center for Sustainable Transport in India (CST-India) and the Interface for Cycling Expertise (I-CE) as part of a local effort to build awareness about the role of bicycling and walking in creating a cleaner, healthier city.

The three films shown were "Ciclovia," about a car-free roads initiative in Bogota, Colombia; "Summer Streets 2008," about New York City's Saturday event that opens streets exclusively to pedestrians and bicyclists; and "Velib'", about Paris' bike sharing program.

For the past one year, CST-India has been working with local community groups and the government in Mumbai to raise awareness about cycling. One of its projects aims to reduce pollution and fuel use by creating a 7-kilometer cycling track along the Bandra seafront.

"If the project is successful," says CST-India Director of Institutional Relations Seema Tiwari, "Mumbai, one of the most polluted cities in the world, might soon be able to breathe a little easier with its first dedicated cycling track."

I-CE will provide technical assistance for the policy and project design, which will be submitted to the government. The Open Bicycles Project, an awareness group, has also agreed to get involved by analyzing traffic in the Bandra district.

Download a related article from the Hindustan Times, "Bandra Pedals Hard for Dedicated Cycle Tracks."