CHENNAI: The city corporation’s push for cycling in the city is on the fast lane. From weekly cycling rallies to infrastructure upgrades, the civic body has been encouraging more city residents to take to cycles.
For a start, the city corporation aims to increase its fleet of SmartBikes to 5,000 in 500 stations, also including e-bikes that require less effort to ride. At present, it has over 1,100 SmartBikes in 102 stations across the city.
According to Corporation data, from January 22 this year until October 3, an average of 361 rides in SmartBikes were taken every day in the city — an improvement over last year. “The focus on cycling is to push non-motorised transport. But it is also significant for public health. During Covid-19 times, we saw how lifestyle can impact health. We also want to encourage more women to cycle,” said a corporation official.
A leisure track has been planned from the Kasturibai MRTS to Thiruvanmiyur MRTS along the Buckingham canal — a 2 km stretch estimated to cost Rs 19 crore. Other than that, the project will look to clear out garbage and construction debris from vacant spaces used as dumping grounds to make way for an urban plaza that aims to bring people outdoors. The restoration plan of the Mambalam canal also includes a 6 km pathway for walking and end-to-end cycling.
Discussions are on with the city police to identify stretches like the Marina service lane that can be turned into exclusive cycling tracks for specific periods of time, said officials.
What city cyclists want
When cyclists use demarcated roads on the left side of streets, the rule of thumb is to leave space approximately for one more cyclist on their left so that if they fall, it would be on the footpaths rather than on the main motorway, explains Felix John, bicycle mayor of Chennai. “If we stay clear of this space when riding, two-wheeler riders enter it. There is also the fear of heavy vehicles coming dangerously close behind you,” he said.
According to Felix, apart from awareness, small measures like having water points for riders at 5-km intervals and having a grievance redressal forum will go a long way in improving the cycling experience. There is also the need to identify the Corporation zones with most commuting cyclists in order to discuss infrastructure changes in those areas, he said.
For this, the city corporation is now encouraging small groups of women to cycle at nights in order to familiarise the image of women riding on streets at night, said officials.