Around 100 cyclists representing 11 cycling groups from Mumbai and Navi Mumbai came together to honor the memory of cyclist Avtar Saini, a former India head of Intel who tragically died Wednesday morning. Saini was struck by a speeding taxi while cycling along Palm Beach Road in Nerul. Assembled near Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) headquarter along the Palm Beach road on Saturday morning, these cyclists united in solidarity.
The collective resolve of all cycling groups is to advocate for their safety concerns to government authorities. Beyond advocating for dedicated cycling tracks, they aim to emphasize the importance of teaching basic driving etiquette for enhanced road safety. Salil Khamkar from Bhukkad Cycling Club, Kharghar said that it was an emotional moment for all cyclists. "We are forming a team comprising members from each group to determine the next steps, including formally submitting our demands to the relevant authorities," Khamkar stated.
While jogging has been banned along Palm Beach Road, there are no specific guidelines for cycling along the Palm Beach Road. The stretch from Moraj Circle in Sanpada to NMMC headquarter in Belapur of Palm Beach Road is favorite among enthusiastic cyclists. The road is frequently used for marathons. However, instances of fatal accidents on the road are reported throughout the year. Over speeding is one of the main reasons for fatal accidents on the road. “Since over speeding is one of the main reasons for accidents on Palm Beach Road, the work of installing automatic high-speed detection CCTV at the major black spot on the Palm Beach Road is in progress,” informed an official from NMMC’s Engineering Department. Recently, the civic body installed rumbler strips at many places on the road.
While cyclists have been demanding a dedicated lane for cyclists for a long time, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has excluded cycle track plans from the draft development (DP) of the city for 2018-38. The civic body submitted the final draft DP to the state government last month. There are concerning indications that the expenditure of lakhs of rupees allocated for constructing the cycle path along the Palm Beach route is yielding minimal results. With only half of the work completed, the civic body has already disbursed Rs 6 crore out of the allocated Rs 11.58 crore to the contractor. However, due to environmental hurdles, progress has been impeded, prompting the civic body to seek permission from the High Court. Despite these challenges, the engineering department of NMMC remains optimistic about obtaining permission from the High Court and proceeding with the construction on the troubled stretches of the cycle track.