April 28, 2022 1:54:54 am
An open manhole grill on the cycle track causes leaves to accumulate and poses a silent threat for riders passing from there.(Written by Deepak Pandita and Aniket Dadhwal)
The Green Chandigarh Mission, which aims to promote the use of cycles in Chandigarh to reduce emissions, appears to be more talk, less work if the condition of cycle tracks in many parts of the city is any indication.
From parts without gravel to trails with open manholes and craters to stretches with slush and mud guaranteed to make a rider fall, the cycle tracks are a testimony to shoddy construction and poor maintenance.
The Express team had a bumpy ride as it pedalled its way across the length and breadth of the city. While some stretches in the north near the Sukhna were well maintained and well lit, those in southern sectors were mostly in a shabby state.
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PremiumSunaina Bansal, founder of Cyclegiri, a group of more than 3000 cycling enthusiasts, rued that the quality of tracks is so poor that she has begun to rethink her decision to choose a cycle over motor vehicle.
Mehak Sareen, a teacher and an ardent cyclist, told Express that the stretch from the Rose Garden towards the Capitol Complex is in a dire need of repair. “It is a shame that the tracks near the Sector 17 underpass are filled with waste, and can cause accidents in the dark,” she fumed.
When contacted, U.T Chief Engineer BS Ojha said, “Roads are surveyed every two months by teams of junior engineers and maintained accordingly. A new online platform will soon enable officials to monitor this work better.”
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