The Chennai Corporation is set to develop a bicycle sharing system with 348 stations across the city offering services free of cost for the first 30 minutes. As many as 4,976 bicycles will be stationed at the docking stations.
The new proposal is expected to improve last mile connectivity of bus stops, suburban rail, MRTS and Metro Rail. Two years ago, the civic body planned to develop a cycle sharing system with 3,000 modern bicycles stationed at 200 places.
As part of the Smart Cities Mission, the civic body has used the services of a consultant to study the public transit network to develop a better bicycle sharing system for the city.
Commuters can have access to the bicycle sharing system using smart cards obtained on payment of a fee. The new proposal for cycle sharing is likely to boost the use of Metro Rail. According to the original proposal, the docking stations were restricted to Thousand Lights, Egmore, Mylapore, Royapettah, Kamarajar Salai, government offices and Fort complex.
Following the launch of Metro Rail, the cycle sharing programme has been expanded to more parts of the city with a larger fleet of cycles, said an official.
“It is a pan city initiative. But initially it will be implemented in areas such as T.Nagar, Marina Beach and Mylapore. The system in T.Nagar will connect the Mambalam railway station and the bus stand,” said an official.
The Corporation has followed the guidelines of the Ministry of Urban Development in designing the network.
