Is the proposed Mahalaxmi cycle track a good idea?

This picture has been used for representational purpose

The BMC plans to build a cycle track next to the protective wall at Mahalaxmi Race Course, on the sidewalk.

Currently, punters may not have visited the racecourse for two years, and others may have noticed that the wall is dilapidated and the sidewalk needs a facelift. It is relatively unused too.

That is why it is proposed that a cycle track be built in the same place. It has a two-pronged aim, one for cyclists of course and the other as a solution for illegal parking on that side.

We have to learn from previous cycling track mistakes while making this one. This edit space has highlighted earlier how a Bandra-Kurla cycling track had gone to seed because of no long-term vision behind it. Cars started being parked on the track.

This paper has also reported on the huge controversy over a proposed cycling track along Powai, Vihar Lakes. Without going into the merit of the protests, one of the red flags raised, if indeed it is a red flag, is the environmental impact of the work for the track.

Even if the Mahalaxmi cycling track is not saddled with these issues it is vital that the state government and with it, of course, the BMC look at things holistically.

While cycling tracks may cut our carbon footprint and may be good in a number of ways for the city, the Shiv Sena cannot be pressing for a theme park at SoBo's green lung, the racecourse.

While they may argue it is still a park, a theme park will need parking and more infra, eating into the green space.

So, one cannot be a selective environmentalist and be concerned about green spaces and emissions only when it suits you and not when it does not.