Now, a cycling track at Carter Road

A 2.4 km cycling track on both sides of Carter Road is set to come up for a month from December this year. The proposal, mooted in March 2016 by Congress corporator, H (west) ward, Asif Zakeria, was stuck for a long time as the traffic department feared that it would eat into the already scarce parking space available on the road.

Only recently, the traffic department gave permission for the project to be tried out for a month before it could be rolled out on a permanent basis; said Mr Zakeria. Municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta gave permission to the project in April but the traffic department reserved its approval owing to concerns about congestion and eating up parking space.

The project was initiated by a group of Bandra-based activists called the Bandra Collective, following demands from locals who take a walk along the promenade every morning. Mr Zakeria said, “There are lot of people who bring their cars to the promenade every morning, park them on the street side, and take a walk. There are also a lot of cyclists in the area, who would willingly switch to cycling instead of exercising every morning. Since there were reservations regarding parking space, our architect has designed the track in such a way so as to maintain parking pockets in some areas.\"

The project is part of the larger Carter Road Cycling Project which aims to bring 2.78 acre land into the public domain, including the 2.4 km long dedicated cycling track, a wider and better seaside promenade, and a usable footpath on the residential side of the street. It has received a nod from Bharat Gaikwad, assistant commissioner, Traffic Police, on a one month trial basis. The BMC and traffic police will examine the effects of the cycling track on traffic and parking in the area during the trial period, before giving permanent permission.