With a view to promoting environment-friendly mode of transport, Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) has begun the task of laying dedicated cycle tracks on selected stretches of roads in the city.
The ‘Retro Reflective Flexible Delineators’ that seek to create a dedicated cycle track have begun making their appearance on Vishwa Manava Double Road. Soon, dedicated cycle tracks will be created on certain stretches of Jhansi Lakshmi Bai Road, Sita Vilas Road, Bogadi Road, Krishnaraja Boulevard, Chamaraja Double Road and New Kantharaj Urs road apart from Vishwa Manava Double Road.
Development Officer of MCC Zone 1 Shushruth told The Hindu that the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT), Government of Karnataka, carried out a survey of the roads in the city and suggested the creation of a total of 8.7 km of dedicated cycling tracks selected stretches based on the “width of the carriageway”.
The project of installing the Retro Reflective Flexible Delineators, which began in September, is expected to be concluded in the next one month. The MCC is hoping to complete the project of creating the dedicated cycle tracks taken up at a cost of ₹3.65 crore over the next three to four weeks.
The distance between the kerb edge and the delineators is 1.5 metres while each delineator is separated by a distance of 1 metre. The delineators seek to create a safe path exclusively for use of cyclists while the retro reflective element aims to provide enhanced safety for the cyclists during night journeys.
When asked, Mr. Shushruth said the MCC had not received any complaints from the motorists on the reduced width of the road for them.
Trin Trin
Meanwhile, the creation of dedicated cycle tracks comes at a time when the Public Bicycle Sharing (PBS) system Trin Trin is undergoing a revamp with pedal assist electric bicycles replacing the conventional bicycles.
About 500 electric bicycles have already been deployed at 48 hubs when the upgraded Trin Trin system went partially live a few weeks ago. Once the PBS goes for a formal launch, a total of 1,000 electric bicycles will be operationalized at 100 hubs across the city.
The revamped Trin Trin not only envisages deployment of user-friendly electric bicycles, but also a dockless system with an Internet of Things (IoT) based integrated locking system at the hubs.
The response for the revamped Trin Trin was described as “good” by the authorities.
However, dedicated cycle lanes were not meant just for Trin Trin users, but for all cyclists, officials said.
