Ravi Kumar, a ‘raddiwala’, collects scrap from houses in different localities in the city. His only mode of transportation is his trusty bicycle. Mahalingaiah sells flowers to a few houses in neighbourhoods in and around RMV 2nd Stage. He delivers the flowers to his clients by cycling to their houses.
Hundreds of citizens, much like Ravi Kumar and Mahalingaiah, are dependant on their cycles to eke out a living. However, a combination of pothole-ridden roads and lack of discipline among motorists makes these cyclists feel unsafe.
Though attempts have been made to have dedicated cycle lanes in a few neighbourhoods, they have not yielded the desired results. This is attributed to the lack of lane discipline in the city, among other reasons.
A few years ago, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) created a 40-km of cycle track/lane covering most thoroughfares in Jayanagar. The lanes were demarcated, but owing to lack of physical separation, the purpose was defeated. The dedicated lanes were encroached upon and eventually, were used for parking.
The civic body, along with DULT, is working on creating a cycle lane in H.S.R. Layout at a cost of ₹18.5 crore. Work is likely to be completed by the end of March this year. Once implemented, the cycle lanes of 1.8 metre width will be demarcated clearly with a resin-based cold mix, besides being physically separated from the road. The BBMP has floated tenders for development of cycle lanes and development of footpaths on link roads around the Byappanahalli, Swami Vivekananda, Indiranagar, Trinity Junction metro stations, besides dedicated cycle tracks in industrial hub areas.
A senior BBMP official pointed out that the cycle lanes will be a failure unless they are made at the kerb-level and with physical separation from the road. “However, the problem we face is that the existing carriageway itself is restricted, given the volume of vehicles. That apart, there is also the issue of continuity. Roads and footpaths in Bengaluru are not hurdle-free,” he said.
(This is the first of a five-part series on cycling in conjunction with the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT)
