Having realised its importance, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has decided to allot spaces for setting up bicycle stands.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, BMRCL spokesperson B S Y Chavan said that the Corporation had identified spots across all the stations of Reach 1, except MG Road, for providing parking stands for bicycles.
“Since the entrance near the Old Plaza theatre is not through yet, there is difficulty in providing a bycycle stand on MG Road. Thus, we are not sure where to provide the parking stand on MG Road,” Chavan added.
On remaining stations
Apart from the MG Road station, space for the bicycle stands on the remaining five stations have already been allotted. However, it is not clear when the stands will come up. According to Chavan, the move for the early establishment of the bicycle stand will depend on the interest shown by the cyclists.
“We will increase the space for the number of cycles to be parked, which is directly dependant on the demand factor,” he added.
Sunil Rao, who works for an advertisement agency, and also an avid bicycle rider, says BMRCL’s decision will receive good response from the cyclists across the City. With help from NGOs working for the cause of environment-friendly transportation, the initiative will get a positive response.
Solving traffic woes
“Cycles and Namma Metro will go a long way in solving the City’s traffic woes,” he added. The major reason to encourage cyclists was to address the ‘last mile’ connectivity. While there are reports that BMRCL might look into tying up with the autorickshaw unions, Chavan said: “We had discussed with some of the unions, but we are not too keen. The auto union has to first decide on their stand and then discuss with us, if they are interested,” he added.