Through the implementation of a project worth eight crores, a twelve-kilometer cycling lane will be laid down in the city of Mangalore as the city prepares to welcome the cycle4change rally. This lane is set to be an exclusively bicycle lane. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been submitted to the Smart City Project. In order to make the lane as perfect as perfect can be, road rollers will be called for to level the areas of the road that are uneven. However, there is always the possibility of the spaces being too narrow for a road roller to do the job. The solution deemed fit for the same is the laying down of interlocks which would ensure that the lane is smooth. Saucer drains will also be installed to ensure that stagnant water does not damage the tracks.
The cost of making the lane, which includes the cost of putting up and maintaining the display ads that show how long the lane lasts has also been included in the plan. However, it has been observed that widening and developing the lane across bridges could necessitate the use of private land and their compound walls might have to be reconstructed. What is reassuring is the fact that the cost for this has also been included in the plan that has been submitted to the Smart City Project.
One major challenge that the project faces though is that it is set to pass through the central railway station of Mangalore. As the area is currently being used by the people, and also because the railways pose a problem, discussions have been scheduled with MP Nalin Kumar Kateel.
Smart City general manager Arun Prabha is of the opinion that laying the lane down should go smoothly once the problems in concern with the railways are sorted out. In addition to the aforementioned bicycle lane, a proposal for another similar lane has been made in the Riverfront Plan of the city. It has also been decided that a bicycle docking station for the primary use of the tourists will be built. The vision for this is for tourists to be able to cycle peacefully on the riverfront road lane while taking in the colors of the sky and the magnificence of the beach.
In an attempt to encourage the citizens of Mangalore to take up cycling much more regularly, a cycle4change rally has been organized to take place on the 1st of November. Those interested can register for the same online. The rally is set to start from Mangala Devi moving through the main roads of the city for about eight kilometers.
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