Kolkata to take part in 'Cycles 4 Change Challenge' competition

Kolkata: The Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) on behalf of city Kolkata has evinced its interest to take part at the national level competition "Cycles 4 Change Challenge" to be held in the month of October organised by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Sector.

KMDA has already initiated the process of creating a dedicated cycle corridor in some major thoroughfares in the city and has roped in a Delhi based agency to conduct a survey of the roads in the city where the project may be feasible.

"It has been decided that initially we will create 4-5 model stretches in the city and will allow the movement of cycles through it. The implementing agency has already prepared the questionnaire which will be soon distributed among the people who have been using bicycles to travel to their workplace in the city for their valuable feedback. The various stakeholders have also been asked to share their opinion about cycle lane in the city," said a senior KMDA official. Apart from KMDA itself, the stakeholders include Kolkata Police, Kolkata Municipal Corporation, state Environment department, state Transport department and IIT Kharagpur which has been closely working with the government in the area of urban mobility.

The central Ministry has floated the competition with the aim to help cities connect with its citizens as well as to develop a unified vision to promote cycling. The challenge is open to all cities under the Smart Cities Mission, capital cities of states or union territories and all cities with a population of more than 5 lakh.

There are a number of routes in the city where a lot of movement of cycles have been witnessed during unlock period with people preferring the two wheeler over public transport where maintaining physical distancing is a major challenge.

Sources in KMDA said that they have already earmarked 10 to 12 routes where they can allow cycles to move. The routes include Howrah to Dharmatala (via Burrabazar) , Behala to Dharmatala, Garia to Chingrighata (along EM Bypass) , Dharmatala to Salt Lake, Sealdah to Dharmatala, Kidderpore to Howrah to name a few. "We will start with those routes where a simple temporary barricading and some minor infrastructural work can make a cycle track" said the official.

A recent study by ITDP India Programme shows that cycling would increase by 50-65 per cent as cities will come out of lockdown.