Tehran Municipality Promoting Walking and Bicycling

EghtesadOnline: In line with its program for promoting eco-friendly transport, Tehran Municipality will invest 170 billion rials ($1.3 million) to develop biking facilities, a Tehran City councilor said.

News ID: ۷۴۶۸۳۹

05 March 2019

As per the fiscal 2019-2020 budget bill, the TM is to get a 189.3 trillion rials ($1.4 billion) budget from which over 169.05 billion rials ($1.3 million) is to be spent on promoting non-motorized transport, Sakineh Ashrafi told ISNA.

Non-motorized transportation (also known as active transportation and human-powered transportation) includes walking and bicycling.

As per the new budget, Ashrafi says, "The money for promoting human-powered transportation will be spent on promoting biking, establishing new bicycle lanes and renovating the existing lanes.”

According to Financial Tribune, she said 6.5 billion rials ($50,000) will go for development and maintenance of biking facilities.

Biking as a smart and green mode of transport helps curb traffic congestion and improve air quality, the elected city official said.

About two years ago, to encourage bicycles as a mode of transport in the metropolises of Tehran, Mashhad and Yazd, as part of the clean commute drive, a system was initiated to construct bike lending centers and to provide bicycles in education centers and travel zones.

In Tehran, 50 terminals were set up across the city mostly in crowded downtown areas and near interchange subway stations and tourist sites that offer a total of 7,000 gearless bicycles. The terminals are located near main city squares including 7-e-Tir, Tohid, Enqelab, and Azadi.

Since Pirouz Hanachi took office as Tehran Mayor in November 2018, new efforts has been launch to expand the clean mode of transportation.