Bhubaneswar: Even though the Centre has asked smart cities to push for more cycling-friendly initiatives, the capital city’s falling numbers in ridership of Mo Cycles post-COVID-19 have raised doubts over the enhancement of the existing infrastructure.
On eve of the Smart City Day, June 26, the Centre had directed states to promote more eco-friendly public vehicles and implement cycling-friendly initiatives that would encourage social distancing amid spread of COVID-19.
Sources said the Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL), a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for implementing smart projects, has directed the Central Region for Urban Transport (CRUT) to add 300 more bicycles to its existing fleet of Mo Cycles. Operated by Hexi and Yulu, CRUT’s Mo Cycle has a fleet of 2,000 bicycles running in 400 routes in the city. However, ever since CRUT decided to resume the service post-COVID-enforced lockdown, Mo Cycles have been only able to operate with just 300 bicycles in mere 50 routes.
Moreover, since the onset of coronavirus, an 83 per cent drop in rides has also been observed. While an average 600 daily riders were earlier registered, the ridership has now plummeted to only 100 per day. While the pandemic is said to be the primary cause behind the fall of demand, off-season cycling and poor riding environment are amongst others.
“Usually months between July and September are offseason as this is monsoon. However, the drop in ridership is due to fear in the spread of COVID19. While we promote cycling with all sections of society, youths in the city have a particular liking for it. Thus, most ridership was observed in KIIT to XIMB and AIIMS to OUAT routes. However, with schools and colleges closed, the Mo Cycles are yet to see the usual demand,” said a senior official at the CRUT.
Moreover, the state government’s austerity measures which include a ban on the purchase of vehicles by various departments has further put a curb on adding more bicycles to the existing fleet.
“Although a cap on buying of vehicles is only limited to official purposes only, any expansion to the fleet will be planned after thoroughly involving concerned stakeholders. As of now, we haven’t received any directive from BSCL,” the official added.
Furthermore, avid bicyclers and road safety organizations have claimed Bhubaneswar as ‘not conducive for promoting cycling.’ Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Puri, who had initiated the ‘Cycles4change Challenge’ on Smart City Day asked the SPVs to explore low-cost interventions such as pop-up cycle lanes, non-motorised zones and community-led cycle rental schemes.
“What good will be these initiatives if there are no designated roads for riders?” questioned Sameet Panda, an avid bicyclist here. “The state government during the Hockey World Cup invested heavily to represent Bhubaneswar as a best cycling city. However, little has been done in this regard as riders still find our cycle tracks clouded by street vendors and vehicles. There is no space for us to ride,” he commented.
Aviral Mishra, OP