HYDERABAD: GHMC’s plan to move towards a safe and healthy Hyderabad got a shot in the arm with the corporation tying up with the 1800-member strong Hyderabad Bicycling Club (HBC) to promote the sport of bicycle riding in the twin cities.A 3-km stretch of road along the Necklace Road has been selected for the initial phase, and measures such as cycle sheds for maintenance and rentals, cycling paths, and daily traffic diversion in the morning between 5-7 has been put in place to encourage people to jump out of their beds, and cycle their way to a healthy life.The inauguration of the initiative will be held this 18th where chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and GHMC mayor Mohammed Majid Hussain, will ride alongside a host of celebrities and public figures along the Hussain Sagar Lake over a stretch of 10 km. Citizens can come in with their own cycles, or rent one of the 100 cycles and gear, on offer by the club, and walk home with a T-shirt, first aid kit and snack pack. On other days, cycling enthusiasts can rent hybrid bikes, mountain bikes or even the tandem (double seater) bicycles for a fee of Rs 20-40. No rental fee will be charged till the end of this month, as part of promotion. GHMC commissioner MT Krishna Babu, lauded the initiative which is also being majorly supported by Bharti Airtel, and promised that more such stretches of road space would be identified to encourage public cycling. “Apart from developing 125 km of pedestrian friendly footpaths across the city, we aim to create a safe environment for cycling by constructing dedicated tracks for the same,” he said, adding that such initiatives were easy to start but difficult to maintain.
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