Jayakrishnan Vu
Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, August 25: A proposed network of bicycle tracks envisaged under the Transit Oriented Development plan seeking to discourage the use of motor vehicles in the city has hit a roadblock. The sole existing ones built on an experimental basis in Jaydev Vihar and Chandrasekharpur have been rendered useless due to encroachment by hawkers.
Lalit, a planning consultant with Crisil Group, said cyclists face a risk to their lives due to the presence of some rash motorcyclists who use the cycling tracks to perform daredevil stunts.
“The planning cell of Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) has done the city a big disservice by not building enough cycling tracks, despite cyclists and pedestrians making up 50 per cent of the city traffic according to a GPS survey, Lalit said. A robust network of cycling tracks in the city could have provided commuters a safe, pollution-free and ultra-cheap means of transport, the planning consultant added.
Authorities should have promoted facilities like renting of bicycles and erecting bicycle shelters across the city to promote cycling, said some experts.
Bhubaneswar-Puri Transport Services Limited (BPTSL) urban transport expert Sayan Roy said infrastructure such as ‘Park & Ride’ to help cyclists park their vehicles near bus bays may prompt private companies to provide cycles to their employees.
Widening the roads to provide space for cycle tracks would help promote use of cycles, Sayan added. Experts said the Capital should learn from cities like Hyderabad and Bangalore which have made efforts to popularise cycle tracks among their citizens.
BMC additional commissioner Sudhanshu Mohan Samal said BMC has submitted a detailed plan under AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transportation) to the state government seeking funds to lay exclusive non-motor vehicle tracks in the city.
BMC officials, however, said the proposal envisioned constructing a 37-km cycle track across the city as part of the Service Level Implementation Plan (SLIP).
BDA and BMC officials held a meeting last week in this connection and submitted a detailed proposal to the state government and the decision to implement is pending with the government.