HYDERABAD: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), in collaboration with the Hyderabad Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (HUMTA), will lay cycle tracks of 46 km in Khairtabad as part of the India Cycles4Challenge under the Smart Cities Mission of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
Ninety-five cities in the country, including Hyderabad, Warangal and Karimnagar, have registered for the challenge. The GHMC, HUMTA and Hyderabad Traffic Police officials on Friday visited the stretch from Begumpet Metro station to Khairtabad junction, which would serve as the pilot corridor for the cycle tracks project. Based on feedback and implementation challenges, more tracks would be laid. Signage, markings, temporary barricading and plug-and-play bollards would be installed along the tracks. Public Bicycle Sharing (PBS) docks would also be set up at Metro stations, TSRTC terminals, depots and MMTS stations, for first- and last-mile connectivity.
In the near future, cycle tracks of 450 km is proposed to be laid in phases — in Cyberabad/HiTec City, Kukatpally, Dilsukhnagar, Charminar, Mehdipatnam, Financial District, Hyderabad Knowledge Centre and Kokapet.
The C4C Challenge would be implemented in two stages — the first covers planning of cycle tracks on a pilot basis, gathering feedback and spreading awareness. Based on the concept plans of the 95 cities, the MoHUA will shortlist 11 cities for stage-2 by October 28. The cities will be awarded `1 crore.