By Japan K Pathak
Ahmedabad: The only type of vehicle allowed for visitors at concrete-built lower promenade of Sabarmati River Front(SRF) is bicycle. Until now you could either walk or sit or bring and ride your own bicycle on lower promenade which is also popularly known as walkway. Now you can get bicycle on rent at River Front.

The facility has started this month only. It is in offer on River Front West side lower promenade behind Tagore hall/NID right under the Sardar bridge.

AMC has roped in private firm MyByk for this service. MyByk had earlier also initiated BRTS route oriented bicycle service.

You can hire a bicycle with adjustable seat to suit your height under Sardar bridge at River Front West.

Operating hours are 6 to 9 am and 5 to 8 pm.

You need to surrender your government issued photo identity card, give your mobile number and sign a register to get a bicycle.

Charges are like this:

0-15 minutes Rs 15
15-30 minutes Rs 20
30-60 minutes Rs 30
Beyond 60 minutes Rs 30 per hour or part thereof

Delivery will not be given post operating hours. However till the last bicycle arrives, MyByk hanger under Sardar Bridge will continue to function.

Typically if you walk continuously between Sardar Bridge and Ellis Bridge(Vivekanand Bridge), it will take 15 minutes. But if you ride a bicycle, the same distance will take 1/3rd time or say 5 minutes. You can cross the distance between Sardar Bridge and Subhash Bridge in less than or around half an hour. The return journey will be little slow and therefore by around one hour you may return back to MyByk hanger if you don’t stop much in-between. If you are not taking bicycles on rent for exercise but for pleasure in order to explore the River Front with your family or friends, then a ride upto Gandhi Bridge is enough. You can take some halts in between and do return.

Some of the things you observe during the bicycle journey are Gandhi Ashram from backside( it would take 22-25 minutes if you ride bicycle continuously), lot of crows(in the morning time), at least a dozen couples making ‘biological masti’, health freak walkers, runners and also some others riding bicycles now. In the evening, on Nehru bridge-Gandhi bridge stretch you can see lot of activities like boating, battery car ride and else.

But then these MyByk bicycles have no lock system. So you can’t park it unattended and have a round in Usmanpura side River Front Park or enjoy boating!

Some improvements are needed. The bicycles should have lock. They should have soft cushioned seat and soft hand-grip because surface of River Front lower promenade is concrete while the seat and grip are hard. Evening time has to be upto 9.30 and not 8.00 pm.

I inquired about and got to know that on weekdays at least 30 bicycles were delivered on rent, while in week-end the total figure had touched 80. So there has been good response.

DeshGujarat