Tehran Municipality to Launch 14-Km Biking Lane

EghtesadOnline: Tehran Municipality is planning to launch a 14-kilometer biking lane in the capital's District 2, connecting Fadak, Iran Zamin and Pardisan parks.

News ID: ۷۸۴۹۸۸

02 November 2019

According to Rasoul Keshtpour, the mayor of Tehran’s District 2, the track will link Sheikh Fazlollah and Hemmat highways that separate the green spaces, ISNA reported.

“The plan is still being examined by urban experts,” he said. "A public call will soon be issued for urban designers and architects to offer their ideas on the construction of the lane and the two bridges."

The lane’s construction has been discussed during meetings between the experts of the Department of Environment and Tehran’s urban managers, according to Financial Tribune.

Keshtpour noted that the plan is in line with environment protection policies and the municipality's goals of reducing air pollution and tackling traffic congestion.

"It will also act as a powerful incentive to the public who tend to bike around the city," he said.

“When there are adequate infrastructures and facilities for using bicycles in a megacity like Tehran, it will be more rational to expect the public to let go of their cars sometimes and use the clean mode of commutation.”

When it becomes completely operational, the bike lane will be the first such facility established in the capital's District 2.

In a related initiative to promote biking as a cleaner mode of transportation, TM has implemented several measures that have been welcomed by the people.

The move to promote biking in Iran’s major cities was launched about two years ago. To encourage bicycles as a mode of transportation in Tehran, Mashhad and Yazd, a project was launched to set up bike-lending centers and provide bicycles in educational centers and travel zones.

In Tehran, 50 terminals were set up, mostly in crowded downtown areas and near subway stations and tourist sites, with a total of 7,000 gearless bicycles.

The terminals are still operating at several main city squares, including Tohid, Enqelab and Azadi.

In addition, TM launched four bike lanes in the capital's districts 6 and 7, along Taleqani, Karimkhan, Iranshahr and Mofatteh streets in the center of the city.