India gets another ‘first’ under her belt as Asia’s first cycling highway was inaugurated in Uttar Pradesh on the 26th of November. Stretching from Etawah to Agra, the highway is 207 km long and approximately 7 feet wide. The cycling highway has been constructed by the UP Public Works Department, and runs parallel to the main highway according to the Times of India, and runs through approximately 92 villages along the way. A rally of over 90 cyclists from 5 countries, and across India opened the highway up for use at the Lion Safari in Etawah.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav’s idea was to transform tourism in the region towards ecological consciousness, and these tracks are the first step towards that direction. “On its way to Agra are tourist destinations like Naugava ka Quila, Raja Bhoj ki Haveli, and Bateshwarnath Temple. It ends at the eastern gate of the Taj Mahal in Agra,” said lion safari director Sanjay Srivastava to TOI. The idea for the highway was inspired from cities like Amsterdam, Berlin, and Paris. UP State minister Abhishek Mishra said “It is a historical moment as a world-class cycling infrastructure is being made operational not only for locals but to the people of the state and the nation” on this story by Tripoto.

Before we get too ahead of ourselves with celebration, this is India after all and nothing remains perfect and ideal for long. India Times reported that a series of encroachments have already taken place on the highway, mostly by cattle rearers who don’t seem to have any other place to tie their cattle. The highway was constructed at a cost of Rs. 13,377.96 Lakh, and there have already been complaints of signboards and lights being stolen. In addition, traktors have been seen on the road which were obviously not built for such heavy duty vehicles. While we give the entire project an A for effort, we can only hope that the district administration and the Samajwadi party takes notice of this quickly and prevent more damage from being done.

Feature Image Courtesy: Raghu Mohan