The Maharashtra government is planning to implement its Streets with Cycle Track project in 10 cities to help reduce traffic congestion and air pollution.
A Government Resolution (GR) was recently issued naming Amaravati, Nagpur, Chandrapur, Kolhapur, Pune, Solapur, Nasik, Latur, Aurangabad and Jalgaon as the 10 cities where the Public Works Department (PWD) will lay cycle tracks on roads.
A committee of four comprising the Additional Director General of Police (Traffic), Secretary PWD (Roads), and two members of NGO Mission Olympics will study the project and provide technical inputs. The committee will choose the roads for implementing the project and suggest modifications to the road design if necessary. It will also have the power to seek the help of organisations that promote cycling.
Dedicated lanes
The GR stated, “It has been observed that people do not use cycles due to the absence of dedicated lanes. In several industrial towns, employees travel a distance of seven to eight kilometres to get to work. Setting up dedicated tracks would encourage them to cycle to work, leading to easing of traffic congestion and reducing of pollution levels.”
The project will be implemented in other cities in the State based on the success of the project in the 10 cities. However, Mumbai and Thane, which witness the worst traffic snarl-ups, have been omitted from the first stage of implementation.
A senior PWD official said clogged roads and ongoing infrastructure work in the cities led the department to omit them from the project for now. “It will be difficult to set up dedicated cycle tracks in these cities now. Roads are overflowing with traffic with ongoing metro work.”
