No space to go the bicycle way in city

KOCHI: To make Kochi cycle-friendly and promote a clean and healthy mode of transport, Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML) started developing cycle lanes along the smart roads in the city. Now two years on, most of the total (around 10km) dedicated to cycling tracks in the city have turned into ‘unofficial’ vehicle parking lots. In several places, the lanes have started to disappear due to a lack of proper maintenance.
The existing condition of some lanes like the one along the Abraham Madamakkal Road even poses a threat to cyclists as the side of the lane has been unevenly covered with gravel. Along the Queen’s Walkway along Chathiyath Road, the lane markings have vanished due to poor upkeep.
At Menaka, as cyclists would have to navigate through the gap between the vehicles parked on the cycle lanes, most often, they end up riding on the main road.
Interestingly, the authorities concerned admit they were not aware of the present situation on the ground. “It is the traffic police that needs to act against those parking their vehicles on cycle lanes. We will conduct an inspection and check if the lanes are fading too,” said a senior official at CSML.
“I am not aware of the parking of large vehicles on cycling lanes here. Will need to check,” said a traffic police officer.
The smart roads were constructed by CSML and handed over to the departments concerned after three years of defects liability period (DLB) wherein the contractor had to repair the road in case of any damage.
While the officials are in denial, the cyclists here are a worried lot. “The tracks are used for parking large vehicles. Moreover, they are not maintained properly and the lanes are fading. There are broken glass pieces on the tracks that can damage the cycle tyres. In developed countries, they do not allow vehicles to park on cycling lanes. A sizeable chunk of the population there are aware of the importance of cycling lanes and the need for cycling. But people here are not even aware of the existence of cycling tracks. There is no awareness about unlawful parking as well,” said cyclist Solvyn Tom.
Town planning experts added that there is an immediate need to bring in stringent laws to act against violators. “In places like Amsterdam and Germany, trespassing into cycling lanes is a punishable offence. It is because of a lack of awareness that motorists park their vehicles on cycling lanes. People here are not even aware of the need for footpaths for pedestrians. Many feel the footpath is to cover the drains under it,” said S Ajayakumar, retired chief town planner.