If popular demand could make our government act promptly we would have had a bicycle lane in Kathmandu a long time ago. But because the Department of Road (DoR) and the Kathmandu Valley Mapping Project (KVMP) could not agree on the modality of funding, construction of Kathmandu's first bicycle lane from Maitighar to Tinkune was suspended.

The construction cost of the project was estimated at Rs 12 million. The proposed lane, 2.5m wide and 1.8km long, was slated for completion 15 months ago. The failure of the first cycle lane project puts the future of the proposed Maitighar-Bhadrakali-Ratnapark, Bagmati-Bishnumati-Dhobikhola corridor and the Ring Road lanes in limbo. If KVMP and DoR cannot sort out their problems, these projects too will gather dust in some government office.

In a pre-planning survey conducted by KVMP, 80 percent of Kathmandu residents said cycle lanes in the city were a necessity. An estimated 15,000 bicycles ply Kathmandu streets everyday.