This pedal port was inaugurated near Dr B R Ambedkar Metro Station, Ambedkar Veedhi, on December 27, 2021. Cyclists in Bengaluru are waiting for more self-help bicycle repair kiosks since one was piloted near Dr B R Ambedkar Metro Station in December 2021.
Pedal port is a DULT (Directorate of Urban Land Transport) initiative for cyclists to do minor repairs to their bicycle if it breaks down during commute, and free of cost. Bengaluru’s bicycle mayor Sathya Sankaran says he is frustrated with the lack of political commitment towards improving infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians.
When the pedal port was flagged off outside the Ambedkar metro station, he recalls the cycling community was excited to try such facilities and suggest improvements, and were hoping these would be installed at petrol banks sooner. “The process is incredibly slow,” he rues.
Check out DH’s latest videos “Public facilities that help a cyclist quickly fix a loose bolt or pump air are quite handy on highways or the outskirts where bicycle shops aren’t available” he says.
Cyclists speak
Ramesh Sreekantan thinks a free-to-use bicycle repair facility is a “good idea in principle” but one must put systems in place to ensure its longevity. Public infrastructure projects such as toilets and pedestrian underpasses are either poorly maintained or closed for use, and the mathematician worries the pedal port will meet the same fate. Shilpi Sahu, who commutes to work on cycle via Outer Ring Road, feels where you install these pedal ports is critical to […]
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