On Thursday, the BBMP will start building 2.2-km-long and 1.8-metre-wide dedicated cycle lanes on both sides of Cubbon Road, from GPO Circle to Manipal Centre. The project is expected to complete in March.
The civic body has obtained the approval of the Defence Ministry as the tracks will be close to its land, said Praveen Lingaiah, executive engineer, BBMP. The project will cost Rs 5.5 crore as the civic body will improve footpaths and provide other amenities on Cubbon Road.
Similar cycle lanes will be built on KG Road and Sarjapur Road (Koramangala) once the Department of Urban Land Transport (DULT) submits a detailed project report (DPR), he added. In all, the BBMP, in association with the DULT, will build up to 80 kilometres of cycle lanes in the central business district (CBD). The lanes will be constantly monitored by CCTV cameras, according to Lingaiah.
On January 19, the DULT held a meeting with bicycle operators on introducing the public bicycle-sharing system in select clusters in BBMP limits. Many operators had shown interest in starting technology-enabled cycle sharing services in the city. Recently, the DULT invited Expressions of Interest (EOI) for the PBS.
Amit Gupta, the CEO of Yulu, a cycle renting company, told DH: "It's a good move. The DULT and the BBMP have come up with a policy framework on the PBS."