CyKochi campaign to hew out 100-km cycle track in Kochi

A bicycling carnival is on the anvil in the Greater Kochi area with bicycle enthusiasts and others coming together under the banner of CyKochi to demand their rightful share of space on roads.

A bicycling carnival is on the anvil in the Greater Kochi area with bicycle enthusiasts and others coming together under the banner of CyKochi to demand their rightful share of space on roads.

The initiative is expected to highlight the demand for, among others, 100 km of safe and dedicated cycle paths that run parallel to, but are tucked away from arterial roads, during the coming 100 days. For long, the vehicle boom, intimidatory driving by motorists, encroachments and ill-maintained road shoulders had resulted in bicylists being sidelined in much of Kochi.

“It was in this situation that NGOs, educational institutions, tourism and sports organisations decided to come together to observe UN Global Road Safety Week beginning May 15, with CyKochi,” said Santosh Thannikkat, the coordinator of CyKochi and CEO of Mitradham Renewable Energy Centre - the lead organiser of the event.

The carnival will see, among other programmes, a ‘Ride of Silence’ in connection with the UN Road Safety Week, at 7 a.m. on May 17 at JLN International Stadium, to commemorate road-accident victims. This will be followed by a cycling carnival from June 4.

Citing the need for safe, inclusive, cycle-priority corridors, Shagzil Khan, president of Cochin Bikers Club said efforts by NGOs, agencies such as CSML and KMRL have shed light on the need for well-designed cycle paths. “Sadly, encroachments and parked vehicles occupy much of the cycle lane (that was highlighted on either side of the Rajendra Maidan-Goshree Junction corridor using green paint). It is in this context that CyKochi is campaigning for a dedicated cycle corridor along the 16-km Pipeline Road that begins from Aluva and ends in the city. This will help bicyclists steer clear of noisy, rashly driven vehicles. This movement that will also sensitise motorists of the need to share space on the road with cyclists, will gather strength in the coming days.”

Urban designer Swapna Ann Wilson said Kochi’s bicycle-sharing system and campaigns must be effectively complemented by dedicated cycle tracks and non-motorised corridors that are tailor made for Kochi, so that people feel confident of venturing out in cycles. “Already, Kochi has crowded arterial roads running in the north-south and east-west directions. Secondary and tertiary streets that run parallel to them are safer for cyclists, since most of them are not bus routes. They can help establish shorter connectivity for cyclists and pedestrians. Such people-centric approach is gaining prevalence worldwide.”

The Better Kochi Response Group (BKRG) is among the NGOs that have been actively campaigning to hew out dedicated spaces on roads for cyclists. “That much of the green-painted cycle lane in the city hub has been taken up by parked vehicles is proof that they must not be at the same level as the road and need segregation. A sound masterplan has to be readied for this,” said S. Gopakumar, its president.