KOLKATA: The Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority (NDITA) is trying to go the New Town way in encouraging cycling in Sector V. The authorities are planning to allow only cycles and pedestrians on a flank of a Technopolis-bound one-way road from SDF Building. The other flank of the road can be used for vehicles. NDITA officials said they will hold a meeting soon with the traffic police to discuss the idea.
“We are planning to allow non-peak hour cycling in Sector V on the stretches that are one-way but have a median in between. We shall hold talks with the traffic police to see whether this can be done or not,” said NDITA chairman, Debashis Sen.
As of now, the authorities have identified the Technopolis-bound stretch from SDF Building. “It is a one-way road with two flanks and a median in between. One flank can be used by pedestrians and cyclists only while the other flank can be used for vehicular movement. There are, however, some traffic aspects that need to be looked into,” said an NDITA official.
Unlike neighbouring New Town, it is not possible to set up dedicated cycle tracks in Sector V due to space constraints on roadsides. “We will have to find if more road space can be available for cycles to ply along with other vehicles,” the official added. An officer of Bidhannagar police commissionarate said they have not yet received any formal proposal from NDITA on this plan. “We will discuss the matter with NDITA. There is not much traffic pressure now as the said one-way road has two flanks. Other traffic aspects will have to be looked into,” he said.
Many people use cycles to come to Sector V for work from neighbouring areas, but they face problems to find a suitable place to park these two-wheelers. So, the authorities have decided to set up smart cycle stands at three important places in Sector V — in front of Webel Bhavan, near Godrej Waterside and the place opposite Wipro gate. The officials have initiated the process to engage an agency for the job.