India’s first pop-up lane dedicated to bicycle riders debuts in Bengaluru

For all the cycling enthusiasts in Bengaluru, this is a great news! A long-pending dream of cycle riders has finally turned into reality as bright orange pop-up lanes between Silk Board junction and Lowry Memorial College near K.R. Puram on Outer Ring Road (ORR) inaugurated in Bengaluru. With this, Bengaluru has become the first Indian state with a pop-up cycle lane.

Bhaskar Rao, Bengaluru Police Commissioner had announced a dedicated 17 km stretch for cycle enthusiasts in June. Since then, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) along with the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) Bengaluru and the World Resources Institute (WRI) India have been continuously working to complete the project. The lane design was prepared by the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT). Before the work started an official had stated, “The cycle lane will be of two-metre width. Bollards will be installed at every metre to demarcate the lane. In addition, 30-mm asphalting over the existing road will be laid specially for the cycle lane.”
Now that the work is completed, the organisations responsible for the lane have opened registrations for their next roundtable discussion. On October 12, the representatives will have a discussion with cyclists, urban transport researchers and the government, on how to enable cycling in cities for women in the state.

Apparently, the world has seen a rise in the number of bicycle riders during the ongoing pandemic as this is a perfect socially distanced means of transport. Besides cycling is also one of the best ways to stay fit and healthy, and keep the environment free of vehicular pollution.
During the lockdown, nearly 200 cyclists in Bengaluru came together to help the old people by providing them essentials. These Relief Riders as they were called used to deliver medicines and groceries to the elderly living in the city.