BENGALURU: Even while Public Bicycle Sharing (PBS) is gaining popularity here, with private companies and the government working to encourage it, the lack of parking spaces remains an issue. Lack of regulations and sufficient parking infrastructure irks pedestrians whose paths are blocked by rental cycles parked along pavements.
“We are trying to replicate the bicycle sharing system we see in other countries, but before that, we need to implement infrastructures such as bicycle tracks and docking stations. Haphazard parking is an issue, where the users park them on the footpath, leaving little space for walkers,” said Ahimanikya Satapathy from Whitefield.
“I have been riding bicycles for ten years now, and I'm all for encouraging it, but it is a safety hazard. At times, I see the bicycles lying flat on the road,” he said, adding that he noticed the issue at Hope Farm signal, EPIP, Marathahalli, ITPL, Hoodi Circle, Whitefield Main Road and near Forum Value Mall. In Indiranagar, Vinoo Thimmaya, a resident, said, “Bicycles are parked haphazardly near Metro stations. It's worse when rental companies drop off bicycles past midnight or before sunrise. In the morning, we see them stacked up on the pavement.”
Citizens suggest a parking policy and infrastructure such as docking stations while implementing public bicycle sharing across the city. Rental parking can be arranged for in collaboration with Namma Metro and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), they suggest, failing which, penalties can be levied. Commenting on the same, Amit Gupta, co-founder and CEO, YULU, admits that finding public parking spaces is a problem.
“While we encourage cycling, we should not end up blocking the path of pedestrians. Normally, users tweet if they spot bicycles parked this way and we have it removed. DULT is working with rental companies and surveying pockets to find designated parking spots, as a part of PBS Phase-1,” Amit said, adding, “We have suggested parking under Metro pillars and flyovers. Bicycle rentals are expanding on a faster scale compared to the infrastructure being made available for it.”