Chandigarh’s green riders can now park easy at Sukhna Lake

Deepankar Sharda
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, July 16

Acting on a news report published in these columns on June 10 regarding the lack of a dedicated space for parking bicycles at Sukhna Lake, the UT Administration has now set up a dedicated parking lot for the purpose.

The dedicated lot has a capacity to park over 70 cycles. Due to closure of gyms and fitness centres owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a significant increase in the number of people taking to cycling to stay fit in the city.

Cycling enthusiasts were not able to find a proper parking space and were keeping their bicycles alongside grills, covering the entire pedestrian path near the entrance to the lake. Many a time, bicycles were seen parked at the lake arena near the police post in a haphazard manner.

However, now with availability of a proper space, cyclists can park their bicycles at a safe place. Around 25 bays have been made on two sides so that cyclists can lock their bicycles.

“This is a welcome step. Cyclists of different age groups come here both in the morning and evening. This facility will surely help them spend some good time,” said Divya, a local resident.

The Chandigarh Master Plan-2031 lays emphasis on making the city pedestrian and bicycle-friendly. “Chandigarh is an ideal place for cycling enthusiasts. The city has dedicated cycle paths and even traffic signals, but the parking facility was lacking. On the same pattern, the UT should create bicycle-parking spaces at all sector markets,” said Sunil Vardhan, another resident.