Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday flagged off a cycling rally at Connaught Place on the occasion of the first World Bicycle Day.
Addressing a gathering, Mr. Naidu said that the first World Bicycle Day celebrations would be an inspiration for Delhiites to change their lifestyle and switching to cycling, which would not only help them stay fit, but also reduce pollution in the city.
The United Nations General Assembly had declared June 3 as World Bicycle Day and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) took the opportunity to organise the rally.
“World Bicycle Day is not a symbolical celebration but it will change the scenario of transportation in the Capital if every citizen decides at a personal level to ride a bicycle to go to work, markets and other places on a day-to-day basis,” said Mr. Naidu.
He also urged the civic bodies to demark a dedicated path on the road for the cyclist to encourage cycling and help it become a part of metropolitan life style.
Other facilities introduced
A Smart Bike Station under the Public Bike Sharing System introduced by the NDMC was also inaugurated to provide Delhiites with better last-mile connectivity.
NDMC chairman Naresh Kumar said that the Public Bike Sharing System will have a minimum of 500 bikes spread over 50 stations in New Delhi.
“These bikes are equipped with application-based integrated GPS tracking and Smart Locking system. In this feature, the cycle will automatically get locked if taken out of the NDMC area,” said Mr. Kumar. He also said that a cyclist can use the facility by registering on ‘NDMC 311’ application and use the touch pad on the back of the cycle to unlock the cycle through an OTP.
The bike sharing facility will be available at ₹10/- for a 30-minute ride to a maximum of ₹300/- for more than 8 hours of ride.
One can subscribe to the facility for a week at ₹199/- and for a year at ₹1,999/-. The facility will be available between 5 a.m. to midnight in the Capital.
