Major UP cities to have cycle superhighways

LUCKNOW: After having cycle tracks along major roads in the state capital, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has given a green signal for ‘cycle superhighways’ in major cities including Lucknow, Noida, Kanpur, Varanasi, Agra and Allahabad.
Two days after his return from London, the chief minister directed his office on Thursday to replicate the London model of cycle superhighways in Lucknow to start with.While the present cycle tracks are one-way and positioned on the side of he roads, the superhighway will be two-way and run in the middle of the road. “This will ensure that the routes are not broken,” says a senior official involved with the project.
The cycle superhighway is the brainchild of the present London mayor to enable cyclists to easily navigate through super busy roads of England capital. It immediately caught the CM’s attention during his recent trip and he decided to emulate it in congested cities of the state so that cycle could become a preferred of communication.
At present, the routes of one-way tracks get broken after some distance and one has to take the main roads after frequent intervals. The ‘superhighway’ will mitigate this problem and make it much safer for schoolchildren as they will not have to get off the track from their school to home. Akhilesh has been inspiring schoolchildren and college going students to opt for the ‘green machine’ instead of motorised two-wheelers to reduce the rising pollution.
“The chief minister’s idea is that the cycle superhighways should run through the middle of the road and not on the sides of the road,” explains a senior functionary at the CM officer. “By having superhighways through the middle of the roads, the cycling would be safer routes will remain uninterrupted till the end destination,” he told TOI.
The officer said that the cycle superhighways are being built at the upper and lower Thames river in London to provide safety to the cyclists which would ultimately motivate people to opt for a cycle ride and reduce the traffic problems and congestion issues, apart from addressing the pollution issues.
“The state capital should be at par with other international places is the basic idea of the chief minister,” he says, adding “Janeshwar Mishra Park is being developed on the pattern of London parks.”