Bhubaneswar: In a bid to bring back the cycling culture to the Capital city, the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) is all set to introduce eco-friendly Public Bicycle Sharing System (PBSS) in the city.
The system will be introduced in three routes of the city before the commencement of Hockey World Cup, scheduled to be held here in November this year.
This decision was taken at high-level meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi at Secretariat here Wednesday where BDA vice-chairman Krishan Kumar along with other senior government officials was present.
While one route will start from Governor House and touch Kalinga Stadium, Jaydev Vihar, Kalinga Hospital Square, Patia and KIIT Square, the second route will be from airport to Kalinga Hospital Square via Acharya Vihar. The last route is on Janpath Road (Unit 1 market to Vani Vihar).
For this, cycle tracks and pavements along 40 km of city roads will be developed and the existing 15 km of cycle track will be repaired and cleared of encroachments.
“We are starting a bicycle-sharing programme in the city to promote non-motorised transport and curb air pollution. The bicycles available for rent will be equipped with modern technological amenities like GPS navigation and would operate through mobile app. The project has been partnered by ‘Mobike’ which is an internationally renowned organisation that promotes cycling and non-motorised transports,” Kumar told reporters, after the meeting.
The cost of each cycle is around `45,000-50,000. Mobike would be making all the investments in the venture, he said, adding, “The service will be free for the first 30 minutes while a nominal user fee will be charged after 30 minutes.”
As per the decision, about 2,000-2,500 cycles will be kept at various cycling dock stations and cycle stands across the city. They will be available on rent. Riders can rent a cycle from one place and after their ride can drop the cycle at cycle stand located at their terminating destinations, sources said.
Notably, the BDA is also planning to expand the total length of the cycling tracks in the city to 120 km in the next five years.
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