The third Raahgiri Day in Delhi saw an equal number of first timers and loyal Raahgirs walking, cycling and dancing on the roads of inner circle in Connaught Place. The initiative is organised every Sunday by the Delhi Police and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) along with Embarq India, and is supported by The Times of India. Regulars also brought their friends and family , swelling the numbers of people in sporty gear and adding to the festive feel.The morning began on a patriotic note with a performance by the CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) Pipe and Brass Band. Cyclists and skaters took over the roads in style and the professionals impressed the amateurs and the cheering crowds.

People from all over the city, and even bordering areas like Faridabad, came in large numbers and were seen enjoying the variety of activities being organised. Abhay and Vikas, who had come for the first time with their families from Pitam Pura and Lajpat Nagar respectively , were seen playing the childhood game of `Chain Chain’ in the CP parking lots. Abhay told us, “There is so much positivity in the air, it’s all so relaxing. Chalte hue agar kisi ko dhakka lage bhi toh kisi ko koi tension nahi hai, smile kar ke log aage badh jaate hain. In the 10-15 years that we’ve lived here, we have never seen Delhi like this.“

The high point of the day was a performance by popu lar stand-up co median Papa CJ and his guest p e r f o r m e r, Malaysian comic biggie Harith Iskander. Jokes on Delhiites’ driving skills, our Bollywood obsession and other desi pride qualities made both of them instant crowd favourites. The fans in the crowd had their starry moments and got selfies clicked with both the artistes.

Meenakshi Lekhi, MP from the New Delhi constituency , was there for her third Raahgiri, and this time, got her new bicycle along and cycled till Amar Jawan Jyoti. “It was nice to cycle for a longer distance. We went up till Amar Jawan Jyoti, saluted the martyrs and cycled back. I have got a new bike and from next week, you will get to see more improvisations in the bike. In fact, I plan to cycle in various colonies in the mornings and make cycling a regular part of my routine,“ she said, adding, “The response to Raahgiri has been really good. We want to take Raahgiri to other marketplaces and create more spaces for pedestrians. I would like to tell people that they should not litter around, and should throw water bottles in the dustbins designated for the purpose.“

Muktesh Chander, special commissioner of police (Traffic), said, “Let’s make Delhi roads more pedestri an and cycle-friendly . Let pedestrians com mand respect from those travelling in ve hicles. These are the events where pedes trians and cyclists can reclaim their space.“ The cop also showed off his creative side when he played Tum Hi Ho on his flute. Anil Shukla, joint commissioner of police (Traffic), who had come with his daughter Radhi ka, was also all praise for the event.

Towards the end of the event, after it got extended by an hour and went on till 10am, people were seen planning their breakfast destinations.

Source –http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/

After Gurgaon, it is Delhi’s turn to reclaim the streets. In a unique initiative to promote sustainable public transport, Delhi Police and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) along with civic society members are organizing Raahgiri Day at Connaught Place on Sunday. The event, which will be organized on every Sun day morning, is supported by The Times of India.Raahgiri is a unique concept to free up a section of the city’s roads from traffic once a week and open it up to citizens to walk, cycle, jog, skate, or even dance. On Sunday , the event will start with a mega cycle rally followed by a wide range of cultural and sports events, including musical performances by Manzil Group and Delhi Drummers, a rock band.For the rally, rent-free cycles will be avail able at the venue for visitors. Delhi Police will cordon off Inner Circle in Connaught Place and parts of Kasturba Gandhi Marg for motorists from 6am to 9am to provide space for cyclists, joggers and skaters.

Muktesh Chander, special commissioner of police (traffic), said, “The aim is to promote walking and cycling. More than 50% of the road fatalities involve cyclists and pedestrians. This is an opportunity for all of us to make city roads safer for cyclists and pedestrians.There is a need to create adequate infrastructure for them”.

Modelled on the Ciclovia festival of Bogota in Colombia—a weekly event that’s been held for more than three decades now— Raahgiri aims at promoting sustainable transport and encourage people to engage in outdoor activity. “The idea is to encourage cycling and walking among residents and also promote the use of public transport to de-clutter city roads. We want people to engage in outdoor activity. People can come out and enjoy on a Delhi road,” said Jalaj Srivastava, chairman, NDMC.

In Gurgaon, NGOs like Embarq India have been successfully organizing Raahgiri Day where people come and take part in all kinds of outdoor activities. “Delhi is critical when it comes to urban planning and transport. We want the government to keep pedestrians and cyclists in mind while planning urban infrastructure. It is equally important to encourage people to indulge in outdoor activities. Through Raahgiri, we

Modelled on the Ciclovia festival of Bogota in Colombia–a weekly event that’s been held for more than three decades now-Raahgiri aims at promoting sustainable transport and encourage people to engage in outdoor activity. “The idea is to encourage cycling and walking among residents and also promote the use of public transport to de-clutter city roads. We want people to engage in outdoor activity . People can come out and enjoy on a Delhi road,“ said Jalaj Srivastava, chairman, NDMC.In Gurgaon, NGOs like Embarq India have been successfully organizing Raahgiri Day where people come and take part in all kinds of outdoor activities. “Delhi is critical when it comes to urban planning and transport. We want the government to keep pedestrians and cyclists in mind while planning urban infrastructure. It is equally important to encourage people to indulge in outdoor activities. Through Raahgiri, we want to promote road safety, a pollution-free city, active lifestyle and inclusive development,’’ said Amit Bhatt, head of transport at Embarq India.

Bhatt added, “In Gurgaon, we started the event on a 4-km long stretch in November. Today, it is organized every Sunday on a 15-km stretch. It is a huge hit here (Gurgaon) and is attended by thousands of people not only from Gurgaon but also from Delhi”.

Apart from Gurgaon, the event has been successfully organized in Ludhiana, Mumbai and Pune.

transport at Embarq India.Bhatt added, “In Gurgaon, we started the event on a 4-km long stretch in November. Today , it is organized every Sunday on a 15-km stretch. It is a huge hit here (Gurgaon) and is attended by thousands of people not only from Gurgaon but also from Delhi“.

Apart from Gurgaon, the event has been successfully organized in Ludhiana, Mumbai and Pune.

NEW DELHI: To promote non-motorized transport, New Delhi Municipal Council has sought help from Delhi Integrated Multi-modal Transit System (DIMTS) in identifying stretches that can be made cyclist-friendly. The idea is to create space without disrupting traffic on arterial roads.”Where continuous tracks can’t be provided, we want DIMTS to find a way of crossing over to the other side. We have requested it to be the consultant for the project,” said O P Mishra, director (projects). The NDMC area has few stretches where cyclists can ride freely.The civic agency and police, along with Embarq India, a non-profit organization, are organizing Raahgiri Day every Sunday to promote cycling and walking. The event is supported by The Times of India. The first Raahgiri Day on July 13 received an overwhelming response with close to 3,000 people from the NCR participating in the event. The venue is Connaught Place’s Inner Circle.

Recently, NDMC developed five cycling tracks: Lodhi Road and Lodhi Garden area, Tilak Marg, Mandir Marg, Zakir Hussain Marg, and India Gate Hexagon. “These tracks have been developed keeping in mind the traffic volume so that cyclists can ride for long distances,” said an NDMC official.

Urban planners and road safety experts have been pushing for safer infrastructure for pedestrian and cyclists for long. Efforts like Raahgiri, which aims at promoting sustainable transport, will encourage people to reclaim the streets, experts said.

“We want people to come out and take back what is rightfully theirs. The Delhi government should factor in the needs of pedestrians and cyclists while formulating plans. Outdoor activities are no less important. Through Raahgiri, we want to promote a safe and pollution-free city, an active lifestyle and inclusive development,” said Amit Bhatt, head of transport at Embarq India.

Traffic cops have been doing their bit for cyclists and pedestrians. “In the absence of defined paths, cyclists enter the motorists’ lanes. Cycle tracks developed during CWG have not been used. We have come up with drives raise awareness among cyclists,” said Mukhtesh Chander, special commissioner of police (traffic).

Source-http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

 After much anticipation, Gurgaon’s famous Raahgiri Day made its Delhi debut at Connaught Place’s Inner Circle, this Sunday morning. Delhiites from all corners of the city started arriving at the event location as early as 6am. An hour later, the stage was crowded, there was music in the air and happy Delhi Raahgirs were cycling all around the circle. While the majority drove down to the event, there were also brave ones who rode their bikes from areas as far off as Dwarka and Yamuna Vihar.

 From cycle rallies to zumba sessions, street football to gym training, there was something for everyone here. The heat and humidity failed to deter the spirit of people who walked around the circle participating in all the activities. The zumba stage, set-up by fitness partner Reebok, was one of the most popular places to be in and the crowd danced to original zumba tracks as well as Honey Singh numbers. The equipment space had trained gym instructors guiding people on using weights and machines and the kickboxing arena had state level players showing off their moves.Aastha, who came to the event with her group of friends from Dwarka, told us, “I read about the event in the paper and somehow managed to convince everyone to get up early for once and come for this event. And this has been an awesome morning. My favourite was the zumba arena and we’re going to come back next week too.”

But for the Raahgirs, more than the activities, it was the freedom to walk on the streets of Connaught Place that was important. Like Sandeep who had come in with his wife and skating enthusiast daughter from Janak Puri, told us, “We had stopped coming to Connaught Place months ago because of the traffic and the messy situation. This is the first time in years that I can actually stand on a road here and look around and enjoy the original charm of this place. This is the Connaught Place that I want to show to my daughter.”

Ravi and Anup, who took the Metro from Noida, added, “CP is the perfect place for an event like this because it is the central point for everyone. I don’t remember the last time I walked on this busy road without having to worry about speeding cars running us down. You can see such a cross section of people here and we’ve never seen Delhi roads come alive like this.”

Students For Peace, a student group, performed a street play and a flash mob-style dance in front of a cheering audience. In fact, the emcee, Madhukar, got people from the audience to talk about what motivated them to come for the event. There was also a nukkad natak staged by a Gurgaon-based firm Nagarro Software on the theme of active commuting and the benefits of cycling. Round two of the cycle rally followed by a performance by the Delhi Drum Circle concluded the first week of Delhi Raahgiri on an energetic note and the participants headed to the restaurants nearby for breakfast.

Robin King, WRI – Ross Centre for Suitable Cities, Washington, was quite impressed with the initiative and said, “I feel this is great. Streets are for people and they should enjoy them. My husband has grown up in Delhi and he used to tell me about CP, and even when I have been here, I have always seen vehicles moving around. I have never seen CP like this where people are cycling, working out and jogging.” SK Lohia, former OSD and ex- officio joint secretary (urban transport) at Ministry Of Urban Development said, “I have been to Gurgaon’s Raahgiri and it’s a dream come true to see Raahgiri happening in CP. When I was with Ministry Of Urban Development and we had sanctioned the redevelopment plan for CP in 2006, we wanted a space for cyclists and pedestrians. Today, this is happening in the heart of India, the heart of Delhi, CP. In fact, the response has been so good and people have turned out in huge numbers despite the heat.”

Jalaj Srivastava, the NDMC chairman, said, “It’s quite hot today. Hopefully, there will be rains next time. People will enjoy cycling and playing soccer in the rains. This will generate good business for eating joints in CP and areas like Bengali Market, because after participating here, people will head to these places for breakfast. I guess some of the places will start opening a little early, so as to get customers. Also, families can come here and work out together and there are so many options available and that too, free of charge.”

Meenakshi Lekhi, MP, New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, also led the cycle rally. “I don’t know after how long I am cycling. Give me some time to get my balancing act right,” she exclaimed. She added, “You cannot cycle or skate in parks. For some sports, you need the streets and this is what Raahgiri has done. It is stuffy but sweating is not bad for health. I think all our potassium and sodium levels will be balanced. This will be developing into a rocking concept.” Muktesh Chander, special commissioner of police (Traffic), said, “This is something which is happening in Delhi for the first time. Delhi needed something like this and there couldn’t have been a better place than CP to start off.”