Cycle track or obstacle course? Will kids bike to school again?
Every evening, 12-year-old Azharuddin uses the City Corporation’s KK Nagar cycle track when he returns from his school in West Mambalam to his house in MGR Nagar in KK Nagar.
Published: 16th June 2018 01:59 AM | Last Updated: 16th June 2018 01:59 AM | A+A A-
A fleet of two dozen bikes block the track and the footpath outside KK Nagar R 7 police station P Jawahar
CHENNAI : Every evening, 12-year-old Azharuddin uses the City Corporation’s KK Nagar cycle track when he returns from his school in West Mambalam to his house in MGR Nagar in KK Nagar. At least, he intends to. On Thursday evening, Azharuddin and his classmate Athinathan pedaled along the stretch at PT Rajan Salai, lined by the track along its length. With their consent, CE followed the duo’s trail along the stretch.
They crossed the first half of the road easily, although they had to deviate to the footpath a few times due to the parked vehicles. But, as they got halfway towards Anna Main Road, their ride wasn’t smooth.
First, a fleet of around two-dozen bikes blocked the track and the footpath outside KK Nagar R 7 police station. An inspector at the station said, “These are vehicles that have been ceased. They will be cleared in one or two days.”
After a brief diversion, the boys crossed the station and returned to the track, only to be greeted by a minivan. Barely another 200 metres ahead, the boys stop — the Sivan Park bus stand tapers the track to a narrow space, meant for both pedestrians and cyclists. This space is taken up by a power cable, snaking through, leaving them weighing their options ahead.
The small rocks, tender coconut shells and other waste that litter the stretch seem almost a non-issue for the boys. Their sights were firmly locked on the next hurdle — a sedan, parked outside a private establishment, eating almost whole of the track and the footpath.“Swerving and steering through the track is a regular affair for us. Initially, the track was good to ride, now there are so many parked vehicles,” said Azharuddin, as he maneuvered the small gap left by the sedan with practiced ease.
There are plans to levy fines on vehicles that are illegally parked. As they negotiated their way forward, Athinathan said, “Sometimes motorists speed on the track. When there is less traffic, it’s easier to just ride on the main road.”A senior corporation official said that the civic body was taking steps to get rid of illegal parking. “We are coordinating with the city police to clear up the track,” the official added.
