The city is expected to save 4.58 tonnes of CO2 daily once 5,000 bicycles are operationalised. (Representational/File) The city’s bike-sharing system has helped reduce carbon emissions by 355.7 tonnes in just 14 months, according to Chandigarh Smart City Chief Executive officer Anindita Mitra. She made this statement at a lecture in Surat, while also stating that carbon emissions are estimated to go down even further, about 4.58 tonnes, once 5,000 Smart Bikes are made operational.
Mitra was invited as a panellist for the ‘Pathways to Net Zero’ session at the Smart Cities, Smart Urbanization Conclave held in Surat. The journey of Chandigarh in the ‘India Cycles4Change Challenge’ was presented, discussing how the city is on its way to achieving carbon neutrality.
During the session, Mitra said that the bike-sharing system is one of the major initiatives taken in Chandigarh which has an average monthly ridership of over 33,000.
“The city is expected to save 4.58 tonnes of CO2 daily once 5,000 bicycles are operationalised. Chandigarh’s entire focus is on facilitating citizens with extensive bicycling infrastructure to ensure a healthier population and improve active lifestyle and community engagement,” she said.
Draft cycling policy
The audience was also informed about the draft cycling policy that is being made to encourage more people to cycle. The policy also aims to introduce special incentives such as a half-day leave earned through seven days of cycling, commendation certificates, and awards for using Smart Bikes to commute every day. The policy also focuses on improving the infrastructure of the bike-sharing system to attract more users. It was stated that all officers, government and private, must have a separate policy to encourage commuting employees to come to work by cycle. Moreover, they must also have a cycle covered parking space along with facilities such as shower rooms and drying racks for commuters to dry their cycling outfits, etc.
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