Undeterred by failure of MMRDA's Rs6.5cr BKC track, civic body chalks out plan.
Notwithstanding the poor response Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) received for a similar project, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to create dedicated bicycle lanes in different parts of city.
The MMRDA had in 2010 constructed such lanes on the internal roads of Bandra-Kurla Complex and they were thrown open to public in 2011. But, the Rs6.48crore which was spent on the project has gone down the drain because the 12km track lies unused.
The BMC, however, plans to go ahead with the plan in some other parts of the city. The civic roads department has been directed to carry out a survey in this regard. “Like MMRDA, the BMC is toying with the idea of giving residents tracks to cycle. Accordingly, locations will be identified,” a senior civic official said, wishing not to be named.
While the survey to finalise locations is yet to be carried out, the corporation has in principle decided to construct such tracks at Marine Drive, Worli sea face and Five Gardens in Matunga.
Tracks measuring 1 to 1.5km in length will be demarcated at Five Gardens. “We plan to construct the cycling tracks on footpaths or promenades where enough space is available for two dedicated lanes,” the official added. However, he did not specify when the work on creating separate cycling tracks will begin.
Civic activists feel that it will not be easy for the BMC to identify spaces where cycling tracks can be created. “The idea to consider cycling tracks at Five Gardens is not feasible. The BMC will require a continuous stretch of at least 1km for the tracks,” said Nikhil Desai, member of AGNI, an NGO.
He suggested the BMC to consider constructing tracks for children below the Kings’ Circle flyover.
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