Dushyant Singh Pundir
Chandigarh, May 29
Soon, you will be entitled to half-day leave every week if you pedal to work for seven days. Private sector employees may earn incentives for a particular distance travelled by cycle to the workplace.
Walk and cycle events
Like many other cities around the world, public walk and cycle events such as “Happy Streets, Raahgiri Day and Cycle-to-Work Day” should be organised.
Virtual cycling events
Virtual cycling events can be created wherein cyclists from any part of the world can participate and share the route and time via an app, besides online and offline campaigns for promotion of cycling over cars.
Vehicles galore
The City Beautiful has the highest per capita ownership of motorised vehicles in the country.
Safety provisions in the draft policy mooted by ut Administration
- Cycle tracks should be planned with design principles that optimise natural surveillance with strategies such as adequate street lighting to provide a secure environment for vulnerable cyclists, particularly women and children
- Safety should be enhanced by creating safe refuge points for women and persons with disabilities by introducing 24×7 CCTV surveillance and panic button
- There should be provision for first-aid kits to cycle safety squad at junctions
- The motor vehicle traffic volume and speed around cyclists should be reduced, especially when road users mix
- Conflict points at intersections and crossings need to be clearly presented so that users are aware of risks and can adapt accordingly
- Make safer parking places available. Parking locations should be in sight of people passing by, lit at night, easy to reach and should convey a feeling of safety
- Co-ordination with police needed to improve surveillance at places where bicycles are frequently stolen
These are a few of the commuter-friendly recommendations made in the draft cycling policy mooted by the UT Administration to promote cycling culture in the city.
Employees, who are cycling enthusiasts, will also have access to health and wellness programmes where they will get subsidy in the annual membership. Commendation certificates, awards and other recognitions for cycle users and incentives such as cash, shower rooms and space for drying cycling clothes and cycles for borrowing for short trips from office can also be given.
An environment-friendly mode of transport, the UT aims to promote cycling as an alternative to cars for short distance travel in the city.
For increased use of cycles, the policy has proposed that the infrastructure should be designed in such a way that cyclists can easily find their routes and destinations, and the cycle lanes should be well lit so that they can be used at night also. Provision for a large number of cycle bays should be made at every parking lot, much more than those for cars, signalling that cycle is to be introduced as one of the major modes of transport. Provision for 10 per cent of the total parking space for cycle parking should be made in the building bylaws. There should be a cycle-only period of four seconds at the beginning of each green signal to help cyclists to cross junctions safely. These are among the other suggestions that have been made in the policy.
The policy recommends various steps to push citizens towards adopting cycling for work and leisure such as cycling promotion strategies can be taken up and reviewed every year to create a shift from cars and two-wheelers to cycles.
Each government office or private body must have a separate policy for their workplace to encourage commuting to work by cycle. Special incentives like half-day leave credited for every seven days cycled or half-day leave granted every week.
The policy entails that NGOs can play a significant role in promoting cycling such as collaboration with various cycling groups in the city and conducting regular cycling events with them.
