Dedicated lanes to be part of public bicycle sharing

The state Cabinet on Tuesday approved two new elements under the Public Bicycle Sharing (PBS) system for Bengaluru: dedicated bicycle lanes and parking hubs.

The Cabinet had first approved the project costing Rs 80.18 crore in September last year. "Bicycle riding facilities will be created on MG Road, Vidhana Soudha, Koramangala, HSR Layout, Indiranagar, Banaswadi, HRBR Layout, HBR Layout and HSR Layout for people to cycle 10-15 km. We now have decided to include dedicated bicycle lanes under the project," Law Minister T B Jayachandra told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.

The Cabinet also decided to release Rs 60 crore for creating the necessary infrastructure in 10 city corporation limits for online submission and sanction of building plans and layouts, he added.

In another decision, the Cabinet decided to provide compensation in cash and developed land on a 50:50 basis for people whose land will be acquired for the Peripheral Ring Road stretch around the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout. Construction of the stretch will require 321 acres of land, Jayachandra added.