By Y.S.Rana, CHANDIGARH: Sixty year later, though most elements of original circulation system of Chandigarh remain intact, yet the vehicular traffic that rules the road today added cyclists and pedestrians in the list of city’s endanger species.
During all these years, bicycle ownership in Chandigarh has declined to 8 per cent from more than 70 per cent. While walking and cycling are still considered as the best form of exercises over the world but the Chandigarh Administration does not seem proactively endorses it. Ringing of cycle bells and crowd of pedestrians had become a rare scene. Chandigarh, capital of two States—Punjab and Haryana—is the kind of beauty that makes one self-concious about who are and your place but city has turned into most pedestrian-unfriendly.
“Pedesdtrians and cyclists can no longer move around the city safely as the motorists,” said Gian Chand Dhadwal, a retired Administration employee. Roads widening has been encroaching on pedestrian pathways and many open spaces either side of roads are used as parking purposes. Travel in the city has become more risky with accident rates having gone up..
City’s reputation was known for a ‘hub of cycles’ but cycling has lost its charm on city’s roads and as has suffered a dent with the number of bycycles showing a sharp decline. Cycle tracks, if any, are poorly planned or incomplete and do not provide any relief to cyclist. Pedestrian pathways for linking different sectors through open green spaces from North to South have more or less remained on paper.
Experts feel that the main culprit is faulty planning as facilities to cycle and pedestrian get lost in the process of transport and road planning. Official data of the Chandigarh Police had revealed that percentage of pedestrians killing on city’s roads remained more or less the same for the past five years. In 2009 the percentage was 32.16 per cent that rose to 34.18 per cent in 2013 and upto June, 2014 it was 32.84 per cent.
In case of cyclists, data revealed that there was a sharp decline in number of cyclists killed on city’s roads. In 2009 it was around 24 per cent that rose to 30.77 per cent and upto June, 2014 around 15 per cent cyclists were killed in road accidents in Chandigarh. It may be because of a majority of prople have discarded cycling, said a police official.
According to traffic survey by RITES 15 major city’s roads had volume/capacity (VC) less than 1.0 except Madhya Marg and Udyog Path. But not only remaining roads but also inter-sectors roads are fast approaching their full capacity. Many of these roads are actually highways in disguise and one has to run for one’s life. These are lack in dedicated cycle tracks or pedestrian pathways are full of trees or grass. In some cases, pedestrian walkways are provided but now in damaged condition