Bengaluru: In a move that is expected to be a shot in the arm for public bicycle sharing system, the BBMP in consultation with Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) has approved 271 cycle parking spaces across the city.
A tender facilitating the construction of these cycle parking hubs, costing Rs 7.72 crore, was rolled out a few days ago. The parking spaces were identified based on a study report submitted by DULT. The project is expected to encourage people to use cycles for travelling short distance and for last mile connectivity.
BBMP sources said these parking hubs will be spread over an area of 28 square kilometers and in the first phase of the project it will cover areas such as M.G. Road, Vidhana Soudha, Koramangala, H.S.R. Layout, Indiranagar, Banaswadi, H.R.B.R. Layout, H.B.R. Layout and Kacharakanahalli. These hubs are expected to come up in six months time.
“The proposed system is a fully automated and bicycles will be parked using dock-less technology. The system allows users to take the cycle from a parking hub, use it as desired and return it either to the same or any other parking hub. The high demand areas have been identified based on employment centres, transit centres, bus stations, parks, high-density residential pockets, townships and commercial areas. The work will start soon,” a senior BBMP official told Deccan Chronicle.
"I guess this plan will help ese the traffic problem of Bengaluru city. These cycles will be useful for people who want to travel a short distance. Based on the recommendation and site report submitted by the DULT, the BBMP will begin infrastructure works to construct three different types of bicycle parking hubs. But we hope that this project does not remain on paper and is implemented soon," Prabanjan, a software employee.
For long the city’s cycle enthusiasts have been campaigning for an extensive network of bicycle parking spaces.
