India, Jan. 21 -- Cycling in Delhi remains a necessity for low-income workers rather than a lifestyle or environmental choice, a new international study published in the Nature Cities journal has found.

The research, which examined bicycling conditions in Delhi and Chennai in India, Dhaka in Bangladesh and Accra in Ghana, presents a stark picture from the capital, showing how urban road design, policy neglect and institutional blind spots have left everyday cyclists navigating dangerous streets with little protection.

Based on intercept surveys and interviews conducted across arterial roads and neighbourhoods in Delhi, the study found that nearly all cyclists on major roads were adult men from economically vulnerable households, working...