There were recommendations to construct a dedicated cycle track on Jan Marg on Sector 17 side from the Matka Chowk (Sector 17/16/9/10) roundabout to the cricket stadium roundabout at Sector 16, where a cyclist later identified as dentist, Dr Lakhwinder Singh of Mohali, was hit from behind by a speeding autorickshaw last month. Lakhwinder along with another cyclist, Satyajeet Kundra, was hit by a speeding autorickshaw when the two were returning to their homes from Sukhna Lake near Sector 16/17 light point at around 5.30 am on September 11. The autorickshaw was overcrowded as eight passengers were riding in it. Lakhwinder succumbed to his injuries on October 1 after being undergoing treatment in a hospital for 19 days. Sources in the UT traffic police said that the recommendations were sent to the UT engineering wing for constructing a cycle track in at least two meetings of road safety committee recently. “We had made the recommendations for the cycle track after conducting a field visit. Later, we were told that there was space shortage and that is why the track could not be built,” a traffic police officer said, adding that the police would again take up this issue with the engineering wing. According to the official record, at least 10 cyclists have been killed in road crashes in the last eight months in Chandigarh. As many as 51 casualties were reported in road accidents in the UT. Besides 10 cyclists, there are 18 pedestrians, 17 two-wheeler riders, 2 cart-riders/ e-rickshaw drivers and 4 four-wheeler riders, who have also lost their lives. When contacted, Chief Engineer, Chandigarh, CB Ojha, said also confirmed that the recommendations were sent and after the death of the cyclist on Jan Marg, a road safety team has been asked to submit a report of the exact stretch. “There is a considerable slow carriage way along with this particular stretch. At many places where we have found shortage of space to construct the cycle track, we earmarked yellow lane on the road dedicated the space to cyclists,” Ojha added. Meanwhile, cycling enthusiast, Matinder Pal Sekhon, of Mohali, said that cyclists and pedestrians are the “most vulnerable” on the UT's roads, and said that despite having hundreds of kilometers long cycle tracks, cyclists are still unsafe due to the encroachments. “Unregulated autorickshaws are one of the growing threat out of many others for the cyclists. During morning and evening hours, we can easily find people strolling with their pets on cycle tracks creating lot of problem for cyclists,” Sekhon concluded.
