Pune: Puneities uses 18 per cent cycle tracks while the rest utilise lanes meant for motor vehicles, a survey by a city-based NGO has revealed.

The study was undertaken by Save Pune Traffic Movement (SPTM) is a Non-Government Organisation promoting transport projects that make it safe, convenient and attractive to use sustainable modes such as walking, public transportation and cycling. The NGO found that the amount of cyclists using cycle tracks varies between 7 per cent and 18 per cent, depending on the location and time of day.

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) from 2017 has made multiple efforts to make cycling easier and promote non-motorised transport. The civic body has constructed cycle tracks along several major arterial roads in the city and has a Cycle Plan and cell dedicated to resolve issues faced by cyclists.

The design of these tracks was expected to follow guidelines set forth by Pune’s Urban Street Design Guidelines or the Urban Cycling Design Guidelines included in the Cycle Plan, which differ only slightly from each other.

The survey was conducted on major cycle tracks around the city, including areas such as Karve Road, Jangli Maharaj Road and Fergusson College Road. At least 575 cyclists were interviewed by the volunteers at different time slots.

The survey also reported that the usage of cycle tracks is minimal in the early morning hours, when the number of cyclists on the road is much higher than during the rest of the day and the number of other vehicles is also much lower.

The fraction of cyclists using the cycle tracks varies between about 7 per cent to 18 per cent, depending on the location and the time of the day, barring the early morning hours. Recreational cyclists in early morning hours use the cycle tracks much less.

The ‘City of Bicycles’, one mark of old Pune, is well deserved because of its geography. The city and its nearby areas, with its flat roads, hills ensure a variety of land that can be travelled by fitness freaks, and week-end cyclists.