Hyderabad: ORR to get 21-km solar cycling track

Hyderabad: Alongside the spacious lanes for fast-moving vehicles, the Outer Ring Road (ORR) is to get dedicated tracks laid for cyclists.

Having equipped the access-controlled ORR with multiple and most modern facilities and dotting it with green aesthetics, the State government is now proposing to build a 21-km cycle track which, inspired by similar facilities in South Korea, will have solar covered roofing. The tracks for cyclists are to be laid between the service road and the main carriageway.

This facility besides offering protection for the cyclists from sun, rain and other weather conditions, will isolate them from main traffic enhancing the safety of their commute. These benefits are in addition to the clean energy that will be produced through solar panels.

The track will stretch for 8 km from Nanakramguda to Telangana State Police Academy (TSPA) and 13 km from Narsingi to Kollur. The 4.5-metre cycle track to be taken up by Hyderabad Growth Corridor Limited (HGCL), a wing of Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), when ready can accommodate three cycle lanes and have one metre green space on either side.

The track will come with several facilities for cyclists including parking spaces, surveillance cameras, bicycle docking and rental station, food courts, drinking water, restrooms and basic bicycle repair shops.

In addition, infrastructure will also be developed to ensure good illumination on the track during the early hours of the day and during night. The power requirement for the lighting is to be generated from solar-panelled roof making the project self-sustainable.

It is planned to be implemented as a solar project by the Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO) model where a RESCO operator will invest total initial capital expenditure for solar panels and maintain it for 25 years and supply power to the department at a discounted price.

9MW of power generation

Around 9MW of power can be generated through the solar roofing of the cycle track and the same could be utilized by HGCL for ORR lighting, drip irrigation and other power requirements of ORR.

The idea behind the project was the video of a cycling track in South Korea tweeted by Norwegian environmentalist and president of Green Belt and Road Institute, Erik Solheim. Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao suggested the idea could be replicated on the ORR and directed Urban Development Special Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar on it.