BENGALURU: It is time for the state government to buck up, if it wants Bengaluru to continue to secure a place as a cycle-friendly city.The need to pace up the Smart City works in Bengaluru rises, after the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs released its first list of Cycles for Change Challenge Report, where Bengaluru is among the top 25 bicycle-friendly cities of 100 smart cities in the IndiaCycles4Change-Challenge.
Rajendra Cholan, Managing Director, Bengaluru Smart City Limited, told TNIE that Bengaluru has featured in the list, based on a proposal Smart City, the Directorate of Urban Land Transport and BBMP had sent to the Centre. The proposal listed nine roads. “Now we have to show progress and implementation on time. Based on the proposal, they will review the progress and then the second round results will be announced. It is a part of the Smart City project,” he said.
A senior BBMP official said the proposal was sent in December. “If the government examines the proposal now based on the City’s road conditions, it will fail. Bengaluru was able to feature in the list because of cycling expeditions held from June to November and the construction works which had started despite the pandemic. But now roads are not commuter-friendly, forget pedestrian- and cycling-friendly.”
Citizens are not convinced of the ranking. They demand that the government list the roads where cycling can be done without any risk. “The identified cycle lanes have been dug open in CBD areas. They are not connected to each other and no roads have dedicated cycle lanes,” said Tushar K, a cyclist.
BBMP Administrator Gaurav Gupta said any kind of shortlist and ranking of Bengaluru is good news. “Cycle-friendly city is a great step forward and we want to see cycling being taken as an alternative mode of transport and not just on select days. Now cycle days, cycle lanes and car-free days need to be promoted to get people to cycle. People are also becoming more environment-friendly and are keen to cycle, so adequate spaces need to be provided,” he said.