Over 5,000 people register to use Delhi civic body’s smart cycles
As of now, a total of 300 smart bikes have already been put under public use at 25 stations, spread over the entire NDMC area and 200 additional smart bikes will be added in the fleet by the end of December this year, officials said.
New Delhi Municipal Council’s (NDMC) ambitious ‘smart cycle’ sharing project has received an encouraging response in its one-month trial with over 5,000 people registering to avail the facility, officials said.
Seeing the tremendous response, NDMC chairman Naresh Kumar on Saturday announced a plan to develop cycling tracks on major roads (starting on pilot basis at Barakhamba Road), 50 more cycling stands and hold a cycling carnival every month next year to promote the concept.
“We plan to develop cycling tracks on service lanes or earmarking space on main carriageway on major roads such as Barakhamba and Akbar Road. Roads with ramps will also be selected for this purpose. This will help create a barrier-free movement for cyclists without any speed breakers,” said Kumar.
“We have also decided to add 50 more stations and 500 more smart bikes in existing fleet by next financial year,” said Kumar.
He said these stands would be located close to residential areas, education institutes and hospitals so that people can easily use them as a means of last-mile connectivity to neighbouring Metro stations and bus stands.
As of now, a total of 300 smart bikes have already been put under public use at 25 stations, spread over the entire NDMC area and 200 additional smart bikes will be added in the fleet by the end of December this year, officials said.
People who wish avail this facility can do so by registering on NDMC’s app — ‘NDMC-311’.
“After registration, cyclists can use the touchpad on back of the cycle to unlock it through a one-time password (OTP). This app-based system records the time when the bike is unlocked and the user is charged the fee accordingly,” he added.
From January 2019, officials from the civic agency said it aims to organise a ‘cycling carnival’ on the lines of ‘Rahagiri’ during weekends at areas like Connaught Place, Shantipath and Rajpath.
“We will restrict traffic movements during morning hours at these roads and promote cycling activities,” a senior NDMC official said.
There is also plan to integrate the facility with Metro smart cards.
“By feeding real-time system data into the local transit app, we can offer seamless connectivity between both modes of transport,” the official said.
Currently, these smart bike rental stands have no roof and are open aired.
In order to make them people friendly, the civic agency said it also plans to construct sheds. Senior NDMC?officials said they are also looking into the possibility of providing facilities at rental stations for coffee shops and book stores at selected places by March 2019.
