Cycle track from New Moti Bagh to Raisina Hill in Delhi likely by 2024

0
28

[google-translator]

Municipal Council will soon start developing a bicycle track connecting New Moti Bagh near Ring Road with North and South Block on Raisina Hill as part of a 6.5 crore project to promote bicycle use in the New Delhi area, officials said.

While several government agencies are working on plans to create bicycle lanes , the lack of road safety features for pedestrians and cyclists remains one of the major concerns for the commuters. (HTArchive)
While several government agencies are working on plans to create bicycle lanes , the lack of road safety features for pedestrians and cyclists remains one of the major concerns for the commuters. (HTArchive)

The civic body received the approval of the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (planning and engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC), the infrastructure planning arm of Delhi Development Authority (DDA), in January; it plans to complete the project in 12 months. According to the approval granted by the agency, a copy of which has been seen by HT, the longest contiguous bicycle track in the city will start from North-South Block and pass key government offices as well as government housing colonies.

NDMC vice-chairman Satish Upadhyay said that the track will also incorporate the 2.7km-long bicycle track being developed along the periphery of Nehru Park in Chanakyapuri. Lieutenant governor VK Saxena laid the foundation stone on January 16 of the project to develop a modern cycling track along the 75-acre park located in the diplomatic enclave.

Upadhyay said there is a need to encourage the use of bicycles as an environment-friendly mode of transportation.

The 10km-long cycle track will cross 12 major roundabouts in the New Delhi area with a series of dedicated cycle tracks, shared lanes (with footpaths), cycle crossings and parking bays. The final route approved by the UTTIPEC starts from New Moti Bagh Block-C, goes into Satya Marg, covers the 2.7km periphery of Nehru Park, and then further towards Panchsheel Marg and Kautilya Marg in the city’s diplomatic enclave. Along the diplomatic enclave, the track will be laid along Teen Murti Marg, Kushak Road, Rajaji Marg and Kamraj Marg along the Sunehri Bagh. In the final phase, the track will cover Maulana Azad road, Rafi Marg, Sansad Marg near the Parliament, and Pandit Pant Marg.

An official associated with the project said that the School of Planning and Architecture has been asked to plan the project.

UTTIPEC asked the civic body to integrate the Red Cross Road, Teen Murti Marg, Rajaji Marg and Kushak Road (frequented by Common Central Secretariat employees and armed forces personnel) into the project and work in coordination with the Central Vista project near the residence of President of India, vice-president of India, and Vijay Chowk to ensure proper integration of the two projects. “NDMC may study similar projects implemented earlier, such as a dedicated cycle track between Chhatrapati Shivaji Stadium and C-Hexagon (India Gate), and incorporate the learnings into the current proposal,” the planning agency added, approving the project.

In October 2020, the council launched a project “Cycle4Change” under which a 5km stretch starting from Bikaner House at India Gate to Jor Bagh Metro Station via Lodhi Garden was inaugurated, an NDMC official added. This will be the second such large-scale project for promoting bicycle usage.

However, regular cyclists say that they no longer use these tracks since they face problems of encroachment, parking and lack of maintenance.

While several government agencies are working on plans to create bicycle lanes , the lack of road safety features for pedestrians and cyclists remains one of the major concerns for the commuters. At least 300 cyclists have died between 2016 and 2022 in fatal accidents, according to data from a study at the Transportation Research and Injury Prevention (TRIP) Centre at IIT Delhi in November 2022

Forty-three-year-old Sanjay Chowdhary, part of Dwarka-based cyclists group Himalayan Eagles, said that nobody uses the existing corridors because they are encroached upon, vehicles are illegally parked there, there are boulders at regular intervals, forcing riders to dismount, and are poorly maintained. “Eventually, these cycling lanes just serve the purpose of beautification. There is no practical utility and even lane markings are faded eventually. The people who regularly cycle need large 20-30km-long routes or loops which are safe and accessible. Smaller tracks are not practical as people are forced to eventually come back to roads with heavy traffic. We hope agencies will keep practical utility in mind while executing the project,” he added.

Source link

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here