Pune bicycle master plan: Public urged to give opinions before August 27

The PMC has announced its ambitious plan of incorporating a bicycle master plan in the development plan of Pune on July 28 and urged the public to give their opinion within the next 30 days.

“Many people are keen to use bicycles for commuting. But due to the failure of PMC to provide a proper dedicated track for cyclists the citizens don’t prefer using it citing safety concerns. The city has around 100 km of bicycle track but unfortunately they are not in good condition and in some areas they have been encroached upon,” said Sujit Patwardhan of ‘Parisar’, an NGO that works in the field of environment and traffic.

The bicycle plan gets a legal validity once it becomes part of the city’s Development Plan (DP).

‘Parisar’, along with Save Pune Traffic Movement and Centre for Environment Education, have appealed to the citizens to submit their opinions so that a well-equipped bicycle master plan is introduced in the city, where a major chunk of air pollution is caused by vehicular emissions.

Patwardhan said that the PMC’s approach towards encouraging cycling has been slack and if the civic body has to provide safe passage for cyclists then the bicycle master plan should be incorporated into the development plan. “This will ensure that the civic administration will have to plan cycle tracks and other infrastructure for cycling on city roads. If they don’t follow it then they can be taken up in court,” Patwardhan said.

The number of cyclists in the city has shrunk considerably. The number has dwindled mainly because of the safety reasons and discontinuity of tracks, he said, and added that the only way to encourage cycling is by providing continuity of tracks across the city and their maintenance.

The organisations have urged the public to insist the PMC make provision for segregated retrofitted existing cycle track, segregated proposed cycle track, proposed painted cycle lane, segregated proposed greenway and segregated proposed cycle track merged with footpaths. “They should also ask for the map in the development plan that will indicate bicycle parking locations and public bicycle sharing station locations as per the comprehensive bicycle master plan. The development plan should also demarcate implementation phases and timelines as specified in the comprehensive bicycle master plan,” Patwardhan said.

Modify development control regulations as per the Comprehensive Bicycle Master Plan if needed, he added.

The budget for the implementation of the comprehensive bicycle master plan is being allocated under PMC’s annual budget.

Draft bicycle master plan

In its draft bicycle master plan, the PMC envisages to transform Pune as a cycle-friendly city by promoting the use of bicycles. It aims to raise the percentage of the population using cycles from 9 to 25 by 2031.

“Pune can be a city where people find cycling, using public transport and walking convenient, comfortable, safe and attractive. ‘Pune Cycle Plan’ is part of the efforts by the PMC to transform transportation in the city. It was prepared in 2016 to help make Pune a cycle-friendly city. Significant progress has been made over the past years to achieve a 300-km bicycle track in the city. It was approved by the civic general body in 2017,” said a civic officer.

The bicycle plan was prepared with the help of consultants, data collection and public engagement, studies of traffic situations for cyclists and cycle tracks. Over 10,000 people were surveyed to study the travel patterns, views about cycling and willingness to shift to bicycles. Discussions were held at ward offices with cyclists, cycle shops, schools, colleges and corporate groups.

The existing cycle tracks of over 90 km across the city can be made user-friendly by connecting the missing links, improving existing designs and strictly preventing other activities in the cycle tracks, the plan stated. It recommends segregating cycle tracks on arterial roads, identifying waiting spaces for cyclists at junctions and dedicated signal for cyclists to cross the road at traffic junctions

It also suggests development of on-street and off-street parking facilities, linking cycling to public transport like bus, metro rail and railway stations. Cash reward for those cycling for the entire month, easy loans for cycles and holding ‘Cycle Day’ or ‘Cycle week’. The PMC should promote cycle-oriented educational campuses, the plan says.