New Town bags national award for non-motorized transport system

Kolkata: Cycling in New Town got national recognition when the ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs at a function held recently awarded 'The City with best non-motorized transport system' to New Town in the 15th Urban Mobility in India conference which was held in Kochi.

On Saturday, New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) felicitated Philem Rohan Singh from Imphal who is now in Kolkata. He will visit 100 smart cities in the country on a bycycle. The Resident Commissioner of Manipur was present at the function.

NKDA has proposed to increase the graded cycling track to 50 km from 35 km now.

The cycle sharing scheme has been very effective. New Town in the only township in the country where cycle sharing scheme has been introduced.

People can hire a cycle fitted with a GPS and after completing his assignments in New Town can park the cycle in one of the 21 docking stations after paying necessary payments.

NKDA has made cycle parking in institutional buildings mandatory.

The Building bye laws have been amended to integrate provision of cycle parking into the buildings' designs.

Steps have been taken to give training in bycycle riding to the interested people in New Town.

Debashis Sen, chairman of NKDA said the use of by cycles has gone up in New Town substantially with more and more young people opting for the eco and health friendly medium

of transport.