A woman parking her bicycle in the permitted compartment of Mumbai-metro line.
Credit: X/@KantInEastt
A viral video of a woman parking her bicycle in the permitted compartment of Mumbai-metro line, a lesser known commuter-friendly facility, gained millions of views and received mixed responses from the netizens.
The video highlights the initiative, operational since 2022, in the two compartments of 2A and 7 where the riders can park their bicycles using the in-built hooks designed for cycle storage.
An X user shared the video with a text that read, "Carrying your bike on a metro is so easy." "This is a fantastic facility in the Mumbai metro. I wish to see more and more Mumbaikars using it," it added.
The post received mixed reactions with many praising it and others having a different opinion on it.
"This is really awesome. This kind of feature is not available even in Danish trains and Denmark is one of the few countries with a huge cycling culture," said one person on X.
Another user wrote, "I agree that encouraging higher ridership is key to the success of these infrastructure investments. Truly integrating the metro with last-mile connectivity solutions will be the differentiator for making it the preferred choice over personal vehicles downtown."
However, people are also concerned about its practicality in regard to India's population, lifestyle and infrastructure.
A user wrote, "Mumbai has 2crore+ population, and having ability to keep 10 cycles in a metro train is useless. Imagine taking out your cycle in this rush. We should not waste our resources on such fancy things."
"As a biker, I love the idea but let’s be real, Indian roads (and even metros) aren’t designed for cycling safety. When we don’t even have proper footpaths to walk on, cycling is a luxury. Nice for a weekend photo op, but far from practical daily commuting," a user quipped on X.
"Even in countries where such facilities are available, cycles are not allowed during peak hours," said another.
"If I was living in Mumbai, I would invest in a folding bicycle. Perfect for last-mile connectivity," another one said.