Shopping in T Nagar or
taking a walk around the Kapaleswarar temple in Mylapore is likely to be
peaceful as the corporation plans to allow only cycles and pedestrians
in parts of these crowded areas. Wallajah Road and Sivananda Salai are
the other places likely to have restricted vehicle movement.

“Pedestrians have been ignored while making plans for development of the
city. Pedestrian and cycle-only zones will give them safe spaces,”said
Chennai mayor Saidai Duraisamy, while announcing the proposal in the
corporation budget for 2013-14 on Monday.

The other often
ignored lot — cyclists — also have something to cheer about. The
corporation plans to introduce a bicycle-sharing programme this year
like the ones in London and Paris.

Cycles will be kept at bus
stops, railway stations and corporation offices on a 7km stretch along
the Marina. People can pay a user fee to take the cycle from one place
to another. The cycles will be a feeder service for the mass rapid
transport system.

To make roads safer for cyclists, the
corporation has proposed a cycle track from Fort Station to Foreshore
Estate. “Cycles are one of the most eco-friendly means of transport. But
we pay less attention to cyclists when we build our
infrastructure,”said a corporation official.

Shreya Gadepalli,
regional director, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy,
calls it a great initiative. “Cycle sharing is spreading like wild fire
in many countries including China. Paris has 20,000 cycles, London about
5,000. Chinese cities such as Hangzhou and Guangzhou have about 50,000
and 6,000 respectively. If it can work there, it can work here,”she
said. Bangalore and Pune have tried the system.

Officials
haven’t yet worked out the cost or the number cycles required, but
experts say 7km would require at least 1,500 cycles. “We need a cycle
station every 300m,”said Gadepalli.

Officials said they
conducted feasibility studies and concept tests. “We are drawing up a
detailed final plan. We know that we will collect refundable deposits
from people to maintain the cycles and prevent loss,”said a senior
corporation official.