BMC peddles walkway and cycling track at racecourse

MUMBAI: Protests over the Rs 168-crore walkway-cum-cycle track from Bandra to Mahim Forts notwithstanding, the BMC has plans to construct another one at Mahalaxmi Racecourse towards Lower Parel. An unhindered view of the racecourse is being peddled as one of the perks of the cycling track.
BMC officials said architects from the Rachna Sansad School of Design and civic engineers are finalising the plan. “The Mahalaxmi Racecourse cycle track will have a footpath and a cycle track. We will demolish a wall and replace it with a fence to offer an open view of the racecourse. Currently, the entire stretch opposite Famous Studio is lying unused. It will be transformed into a usable space for both pedestrians and cyclists,” said Sharad Ughade, assistant municipal commissioner, G-South Ward.
He said the project would be completed in around six months. “It will be cost effective. We will also illuminate the stretch and make it cleaner, safer and accessible to all. There will be equal space for pedestrians and cyclists on the 500m stretch,” Ughade said.
“This is part of the pedestrianisation and beautification from Dadar station to Mahalaxmi along Senapati Bapat Marg. It will be accessible to both pedestrians and cyclists. The wall will make way for see-through grilles,” said Worli MLA Aaditya Thackeray.
While the BMC is pushing for more cycle tracks, cyclists and mobility experts have pointed out that constructing cycle tracks alone will not be enough to promote cycling in the city. Mumbai’s bicycle mayor Firoza Suresh said there should be a feasibility study on how the tracks will engage cyclists throughout the day. “Else it will be like the BKC cycle track which did not attract hardcore cyclists and the project eventually fizzled out,” she said. She also underlined the need for a “continuity plan”. “A single patch can help neighbourhood cyclists, but when you take a civic ward and work on a cycling network plan with proper junction management, surveillance, and continuity from any part of the ward to another, it will encourage more cyclists to use the track,” she said.
Transport expert Pranav Naik lauded the idea of cycling tracks, but rued the closure of events such as equal streets, and the weekend cycling track from NCPA to Worli. He said if cycling tracks were viewed as a “recreational activity,” rather than a mode of transport, it wouldn’t contribute to a healthier or safer city.