The Times of India            16.12.2013

Soon, a public bicycle sharing system for Panaji

PANAJI: A cyclist riding on Panaji's busy roads is a rare sight these days. A cycle enthusiast who gets his or her bike on the road has to do it at their own cost since there are no earmarked cycling tracks in the city.

They have to ride at the side of the road as chances of being knocked down by a speeding motorist are high.

There's a possibility that in the near future, Panaji's roads will have more cyclists. The Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) is keen on introducing a public bicycle sharing system in the city as one of the measures to cut down traffic flow which is increasing at a rapid speed.

Commissioner of CCP Sanjit Rodrigues said they will involve EMBARQ India to execute their plan. "The EMBARQ India officials will have a discussion with various stakeholders such as traffic cops, a cyclist association, non-government organizations and others," said Rodrigues.

The discussion will take place on Monday at the CCP conference hall in Panaji. Currently, EMBARQ India is engaged in a number of activities, providing technical support for the implementation of environmentally and financially sustainable models of transport in cities across India.

It will also help CCP to develop a detailed project report. This project has been part of CCP's plan to develop a non-motorized transport system/corridor and for which it will seek funding under the Jawaharlal Nehru rural renewal mission.

The CCP commissioner said the bicycle sharing system has been a success in many countries. It is considered to be an innovative mode of transportation system and ideal for municipal areas wherein travel covers from one-point-to-another mostly covering short distances.

Under this system, a person can pick up a bike on hire from a bike station and leave it at another bike station within the system's service area.

But, the task will be harder to realize and also sustain it, said a councillor claiming having better knowledge of functioning of the council.

"There have to be designated cycling tracks considering how unruly city traffic is," he said even as he claimed that he liked the idea.

He said even if locals shun the scheme it will still take off thanks to tourism. "I'm sure foreign tourists if not domestic, will gladly use it," he added.