BKC's cycle tracks to make way for traffic
Mumbai: Even before their full completion, BKC's cycle tracks are set to go.
has floated tenders for Rs 25 crore for dismantling of the tracks and shifting of utilities as part of an ambitious plan to decongest and widen roads across the business district.
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The plan has drawn criticism from the cycling community and activists.A plan for 13km cycle tracks in BKC's G-block was sanctioned in 2011.
Construction began the following year and 9km was built till 2021, with total expenditure touching Rs 60 crore.Officials said the tracks, however, have been underused and traffic on BKC's roads has grown manifold. The arterial roads, especially Bandra-Kurla Link Road from Kalanagar junction to Bharat Diamond Bourse, see a daily traffic volume of 6 lakh. Sion bridge's closure has worsened the situation, funnelling more heavy vehicles through BKC's relatively narrow corridors.To find a way out of this, MMRDA has devised twin strategies: converting cycle tracks—some 2.7m wide —into additional vehicular lanes and implementing a one-way traffic system on internal roads. The cycle tracks' merger will increase lane capacity by nearly 50%, and MMRDA estimates that nearly 10 minutes of peak-hour travel time can be shaved off. "This realignment will help balance space according to actual usage," said and official. Signal wait times are also expected to drop from 10 minutes to 7 minutes, and CO₂ emissions could reduce by over 30% during peak idling hours due to reduced fuel burn.Vishwanathan Iyer, neurosurgeon and 'bicycle mayor of Mumbai', blamed the cycle tracks' poor alignment for the underwhelming response to them. "They neither covered the entire business district nor offered seamless connectivity. They started and ended abruptly, lacking links to key entry points like Kurla and Bandra. The space was soon encroached upon by parked bikes and taxis."Zoru Bhathena, a civic activist, questioned the additional burden of dismantling the tracks. "They were barely used and ended up looking more like a showpiece. The concept was good, but the execution was flawed."
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