It is mandatory to ensure encroachment-free cycle-tracks and footpaths, but is a distant dream
There are no separate cycle-lanes for cyclists to use their bicycles. No cycle-sharing stations in the town
The Union Government’s ‘Smart City Project’, which makes it mandatory for cities to have robust transport system and encroachment-free cycle tracks and footpaths.
In fact, the Smart Cities should lay emphasis on walkability in cities. The pedestrian is given a place of prominence as every trip has a leg that involves walking, says the Government’s Smart City note.
In contrary, in Karimnagar city albeit the Smart City, one can only see the signboards mentioning cycle tracks, which are not usable as they were obstructed by transformers, electric poles, drains and of encroachments. One can hardly find an exclusive cycle lane in any part of the Smart City road or R&B roads.
Instead of widening the roads as part of Smart City, the planners have reduced the width of the roads causing more congestion and accidents. With the increase of vehicular population and city growing leaps and bounds, one can image the plight of road-users with frequent traffic snarls in the unscientifically executed Smart City.
The Municipal authorities had made tall claims about the availability of cycle tracks in all the Smart city roads to encourage non-motorised transport. The cycle tracks were proposed to encourage people to start using bicycle as the primary mode of transport to the workplace or as a connectivity mode for public transport.
Incidentally, it is also mandatory on the part of the authorities for the creation of cycle tracks and footpaths for the pedestrians as part of the Karimnagar Smart city roads. There should be segregated lanes exclusively for bicycles to avoid accidents and the provision of safe and secured parking spaces. The authorities should also set up cycle sharing stations at important places for the benefit of people to travel on the bicycle on allocate cycle track.
Ironically, there are only signboards informing about the availability of cycle tracks, but no cyclist can pedal on the specified cycle track as it does not have any segregated lane to use the bicycle. When the district authorities had announced the construction of segregated cycle tracks as part of Smart city roads, the residents felt very happy to take up the cycle as the mode of transport to reach various destinations in the town. The health-conscious people and cyclists were also excited about the news of laying cycle tracks. But, all their dreams have been shattered as the authorities had only installed signboards of cycle track in various parts of the town, which are not at all usable.
In order to cover up the mistakes committed by the leaders, the MCK authorities say that they were constructing special cycle tracks on the premises of Satavahana University, SRR government Degree College and women’s degree college for the benefit of the fitness enthusiasts. Following no vision, the rulers converted government school premises as ‘sports complexes’ by constructing walking tracks and open gyms causing disturbances to the educational institutions.
The Lok Satta udyama samstha district unit leaders had faulted the MCK authorities for failing to provide mandatory separate and safe cycle tracks in the town. There is no vision in the execution of any work and the roads have turned narrow and would definitely become a cause of concern with traffic snarls becoming the order of the day with the growing vehicular population and the city, they stated.
An intelligent planner and leaders while planning a Smart city should assume that cycling, walking and public transport would be the main forms of transport while trying to figure out how to accommodate inefficient, polluting and dangerous modes like private care use, they stated.
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Quelle/Source: Hindu Dayashankar, 04.06.2023
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