Seen to have an association with the SP, whose symbol is the bicycle, no steps have been taken since the departure of the Akhilesh regime to develop the cycle tracks. They have, however, not been dismantled either, eating up a significant chunk of road space and serving instead as parking lots, workshops for roadside motor mechanics, garbage dumps and a convenient lane for wrong-side driving for two-wheeler riders looking to beat the rush.
Avid cyclists say they cannot ride on any of these tracks and in the few places where they are free of encumbrances, the design is poor and the stretches are interrupted by motorable lanes, making a smooth cycle ride virtually impossible on them.
In Noida, there are five stretches of cycle tracks with a total length of 46km. Similarly, Greater Noida has five cycle tracks, with a total length of over 20km. The entire project in GB Nagar had cost nearly Rs 40 crore, with each cycle track costing Rs 70-75 lakh or up to Rs 8-10 crores depending on its length.
In Noida, there is a 2.9km-long unfinished stretch of cycle track on MP 1 Road near the Rajnigandha intersection, a 17.22km-long stretch on the MP 3 roads, in sectors 44 and 99 near the Noida Expressway and Sector 126, a 8.9km-long one in sectors 66 and 62 and sectors 55-57, besides 13.75km-long and 3.62km-long stretches in other areas.
In Greater Noida, there are two cycle tracks of total 5km length in Knowledge Park 2 and 3 along the 132m-wide road in the area. Others include a 5.4km-long cycle track along the 28km-long and 130m-wide arterial road between Greater Noida (West) and Parthala Khanjarpur, a 5km-long one on the 105m-wide arterial road of Alpha 1 on the Golf Course Road, a 10km-long corridor inside the Gautam Budh University campus and another small stretch on Greater Noida Road.
The cycling stretches are nearly four metres in width and include a 1.5m-long footpath and a 2.5m-long cycle track. “Nearly 60-70% of these tracks are not usable, and 50% are in dark areas, so riding is a safety threat. Sometimes, fast-moving cars/motorcycles come onto these tracks. Additionally, there are encroachments by roadside kiosks, dhabas or two-four wheelers. The lack of maintenance has led to sheer waste of public money here,” said Rajiva Singh, a cyclist in Noida who is part of the Joggers and Walkers Club. The JWC has over 100 members, including 15-20 active cyclists.
According to Singh, the purpose of the existing tracks also gets defeated because of bad planning; they are not in loops. “Cycling on these tracks is not practical. Any cyclist would ride a minimum of 10 to 20 km. But one cannot find a seamless track of that length in Noida or Greater Noida,” he said.
Vinita Palwal (37), a member of JWC, said that cycle tracks are of no use in Noida. “The authorities have converted them into roads for normal traffic, and there is an overgrowth of bushes around these tracks, adding to safety worries of early-morning or late-night riders. The authorities do not seem to want to support cycling,” said Palwal.
A roadside foodseller, who has a stall on the Sector 62 cycle track, said that he had no idea that his stall was on a cycle track. “We sell food and snacks here because there are many offices in the area. Besides, so many bikes are also parked here,” he said.
The situation is similar in Ghaziabad, where cycle tracks span 16 stretches. It took an estimated Rs 30 crore to build them. A 3km-long cycle track on the south side of the GT Road industrial area is buried under dust. In Indirapuram, cycle tracks serve as additional space for roadside vehicle repair shops and in some places, other kiosks have come up.
“The only benefit is that pedestrians or morning walkers use the cycle tracks without fear of being hit by vehicles from behind as concrete pillars on them serve as safety checks,” said Ashish Kumar, an Indirapu-ram resident.
Someshwar Dayal, another resident, said, “It is so surprising that in the past five years, neither the government nor the civic or development agencies could assess the efficacy of these cycle tracks, which at best have become a public nuisance now.” He added, “Some of the cycle tracks extend into roads, triggering traffic jams, especially during peak hours.”
Officials with the Noida Authority said that they would remove the encroachments and garbage from the cycle tracks. However, they were unwilling to comment on any future plan for the cycle tracks.
On condition of anonymity, a Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) official said the political connotation had affected thefate of the cycle tracks. He said, “The tracks exist. But , civic agencies and development authorities did not take a call on them independently. What one sees today is a result of that.”
Meanwhile, cyclists suggested measures for the future and hoped cycling spaces would be created in the NCR cities by whichever government that comes to office after March 10 when the assembly election votes will be counted. “The first job is to revamp the tracks and make them seamless. Then, install new infrastructure and cycling tracks with an eye on safety. Authorities can also list docking stations near metro stations for last-mile connectivity in sectors,” said Singh.