Following demands from cycling enthusiasts, the traffic police on Friday agreed to hold a meeting with the Noida authority to discuss how to build safe cycling and walking infrastructure in the city.
Traffic police officers are of the opinion that pedestrians and cyclists in the city need safe spaces for their movements, which will also reduce traffic accidents and fatalities. However, they are of the opinion that allowing cyclists on the highways is dangerous.
Earlier this week, six cyclists were injured after a medium-sized truck hit the group as they were traveling along the Noida-Greater Noida highway.
“We are working to reduce the number of road deaths in Gautam Budh Nagar district. We believe that allowing cyclists or autorickshaws on highways where vehicles are moving at high speed is dangerous. However, in the city we have wide roads and there are cycle paths in some areas. We can discuss with the Noida authority if these can be revived or if alternative arrangements can be made to ensure the safety of cyclists,” said Ganesh Prasad Saha, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Gautam Budh Nagar .
DCP Saha said that the police have no intention of restricting the movement of cyclists and that is why they have been asked to use the service lanes of the motorways until there is a solution permed. “The Noida highway is also being repaired. Additionally, there is construction going on at Sector 151. Cycling can be dangerous in such a situation and cyclists should be careful,” he added.
Noida and Greater Noida are among the few cities in the country where cycle paths have been built along arterial roads. However, some infrastructure experts believe that for political reasons (cycles being the electoral symbol of the opposition party in Uttar Pradesh), the project took a back seat when the government changed five years ago. In Noida, there are five sections of cycle paths with a total length of 46 kilometers, while Greater Noida also has five sections, measuring 20 kilometers.
However, these sections are disjoint at different places and do not form a complete circuit or itinerary. In such a situation, cyclists are forced to leave the lanes and mix with high-speed traffic after a few kilometers. In the absence of maintenance or measures taken to improve and increase their length in recent years, the cycle paths have also deteriorated. Most of these tracks are also used as parking spaces and street vendors have also started encroaching on them.
“The existing cycle paths are an eyewash. They lack good planning and are very troublesome. Also, there was no interview. They are also not connected or well lit and there is widespread encroachment. In fact, they are more dangerous than riding along main roads. The situation is no different on feeder roads which are narrow with high speed traffic on both sides. Where do cyclists ride in such circumstances? said Rajiva Singh, an avid cyclist.
Singh added that suffocating space for cyclists is an irrational idea since cycling is a green mode of transport and is ideal for short distances and is a healthy alternative for people.
Meanwhile, Noida authority officials said there are currently no plans to revive the cycle lanes. Noida Authority’s traffic cell manager, SP Singh, said that although there has been no discussion of the immediate renovation of cycle paths, the authority wants to promote the use of e-bikes. in a close future.
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