Bicycles back again in Chennai but lack of infrastructure is an issue
Posted on: 28/Oct/2020 9:11:37 AM
Gone are the days when people in Chennai depend on the MTC buses or suburban trains or two wheelers to reach their destination. The lockdown due to Coronavirus infection has changed lives now. Many these days use bicycles in Chennai.
The frequent use of bicycles has increased the fitness levels of the residents. Many bicycle users have complained about the lack of safety and want to have adequate infrastructure that would encourage cycling.
On the 2 stretches in Chennai city, GCC had set up bicycle lanes of 17kms but these lanes are occupied by cars and other vehicles. The cyclists fight for the space on the road. As per a cyclist, the increase in the traffic has stopped him from using the bicycle.
It must be noted that till September he used to cycle from his house in Royapuram to his office in Anna Salai. He pointed out that the drivers of huge vehicles do not have any respect towards the cyclists and it was highly risky to drive bicycles on the main road due to the absence of dedicated lanes.
It must be recalled that over 45 cyclists were killed and as many as143 were injured in the road accidents in Chennai in 2019. This has not stopped people from driving bicycles.
Founding member of We Are Chennai Cycling Group or WCCG, Mr. Divagaran was of the view that cycling increased during the lockdown in the absence of public transport. He mentioned that the people wanted to get fitter and hence use bicycles.
Now, after the lockdown, the traffic is coming back to the normal and there must be a dedicated lane for bicycles. By this, more people would be encouraged to use bicycles in Chennai. Point is that the police must ensure that other vehicles do not use the lanes that are meant for the bicycles.
Mr. Divagaran later threw light on how Bengaluru has made many arrangements for the cyclists by setting up pop- up lanes on the arterial roads. It has been pointed out by Mr. Radhakrishnan of Cyclogen that the sales of performance bikes in Chennai have become more after the lockdown.
He explained about how police personnel as well as the fire service personnel are buying bikes now as they have begun cycling for fitness. There is more demand now but the supply has been affected due to the fact that the waiting period for even small parts takes longer now.
