Chandigarh: Work to upgrade cycle tracks gets rolling

The Chandigarh administration has finally set in motion the work of upgrading cycle tracks in the city. The work, comprising repair/re-carpeting, improving signages and rectifying alignments in case required, will be carried out at a cost of ₹2.68 crore and is likely to be completed in six months. The UT engineering department will be taking up the work and tendering process has started.

Cycling has become popular in the city in the last couple of years and there are more than 1 lakh active users of the public bicycle sharing system introduced last year.

Senior UT officials, including adviser Dharam Pal, have emphasised on the need to provide good quality cycle tracks in the city. While the administration has been able to extend the length of cycle tracks to more than 200 kilometres, but in several areas, residents complain that the quality of the network remains poor. This is particularly the case in the southern sectors.

Residents and cycling enthusiasts have highlighted time and again that riding along the tracks, the movement is constrained because the width is not constant. There are awkward and abrupt cuts and joints on the track, and no proper turn angles are provided. There are no kerbs provided at edges to give strength and visual symmetry and even the thickness of metal surface is random and has washed off or is broken at several places.

The cycle tracks which are in poor condition include the ones in Sectors 3, 25, 32, 33, 39, 40, 42, 43, 45, 46, 52, 53 and Maloya. Apart from this, the tracks have still not been built in the areas of the periphery.

Work being undertaken

“In addition to the recarpeting, realignment of tracks will also be done. The tracks will be recarpeted and new signages will also be installed. Installation of street lights on the cycle track network is also underway,” said a UT official.

Under the project, cycle tracks will be covered at junction numbers 1 to 7, 7 to 17, 17 to 24, 24 to 31, 31 to 46, 2 to 8, 8 to 18, 18 to 25, 25 to 32, 30 to 45, 23 to 24, 23 to Chitkara School, 23 to 30, 30 to 31, Satsang Bhawan to Maloya and Junction No. 17 to Mullanpur Chowk. The administration has completed the construction of around 210 km of cycle track in the city, on which around ₹22 crore has been spent in the last five years.

Laying of additional networks is also being undertaken. One of these areas is in the in the industrial area, where work has already been allotted. Apart from this, the work of making cycle tracks in other similar areas will be completed soon.

Public sharing: 1,250 cycles to be added

In the second phase of public bicycle sharing to be launched soon, 1,250 bicycles will be added, taking the total strength to 2,500. Particularly, stress has been laid on expanding the network near educational institutions and government offices. In Panjab University alone, 11 new docking stations are ready to become operational.

By October this year, all four phases of the system are likely to be completed. This will entail 5,000 cycles, both mechanical and e-cycles, and more than 600 docking stations across the city.

Since the launch of the first phase of PBS in August last year, there are more than 1 lakh active users of the system, as per the number of downloads of official PBS mobile app. More than 1,300 users daily use it, and around 1,800 on holidays.