Lahore Divisional Commissioner Muhammad Ali Rand-hawa chaired a special meeting here on Wednesday for promotion of cycling culture among citizens to ensure healthy activities. The commissioner said that cycling culture would not only ensure a healthy urban environ-ment but also create business opportunities.
The meeting decided that cycle stands would be built near the bus stops in the city from where the citizens would take the bicycle on QR code from the docking stand and return it at the next stand. The meeting was briefed that a Cycling Culture Promotion app would be developed and it would also be linked with Go Punjab of the PITB (Punjab Information Technology Board).
Randhawa said that PITBs cycling app would cover all aspects of the cycling business model. Cycle culture promotion stakeholders include public and private sectors, banks and the cyclists, asserting that cyclists would be offered discounts at cinemas, restaurants and coffee shops as well as the food chains in the cycle lanes area on QR code, besides advertising the discount on the Go Punjab app. As soon the cyclists turn on the app, they would also get the food discount based on QR code. He mentioned that stands would also be provided on model highways for cyclists to park their personal bicycles.
A business model would be adopted for promotion of bicycle culture for which no government expenditure would be required. He assured that safety and security of the cyclists would be ensured. The commissioner said that in order to promote cycling, bicycles would be provided to citizens on rent.
He said that expressions of interest are being sought from bicycle companies and groups, adding that the private sector, big city housing societies would also provide cycling facilities to citizens, while educational institutions, cycling companies, and service providers would also be included in the campaign. Bank of Punjab Retail Head Naufal Dawood, Additional Commissioner Abdul Salam Arif, Director (Development) Javed Chauhan, PITB Director General Sajid Latif, LDA Chief Engineer Asrar Saeed, TEPA (Traffic Engineering and Planning Authority) Chief Engineer Iqrar Hussain and other officers concerned also attended the meeting.
