TEHRAN – A total budget of 170 billion rials (around $4 million) has been allocated to promote bike lanes across the capital city of Tehran, encouraging the residents to ride bicycles.

The budget has been approved within the framework of the budget bill for the next Iranian calendar year (starting on March 21), Sakineh Ashrafi, deputy mayor of Tehran for planning, urban development and council affairs has said. 

One of the main issues taken into consideration through the next year’s budget bill, was development of non-motorized transportation, which focuses on active transportation and human powered transportation including walking and bicycling, she explained.

According to Tehran third development plan, biking as a green transport has been taken into consideration in order to mitigate traffic congestion and air pollution, she further noted, ISNA reported on Sunday.

Tehran third development plan is a five-year program from the next Iranian calendar year 1398 to the year 1402 (March 2023- March 2024), through which the Municipality is supposed to develop the city’s infrastructure as well as promoting the culture of using bikes rather than private cars among the citizens.

She went on to say that some 170 billion rials (about $4 million) have been proposed in the budget bill to strengthen non-motorized transport system, 131 billion rials (nearly $3.2 million) of which will be allocated to building and equipping bike lanes and the rest will be spent on reconstruction and renovation of passages.

To encourage the private sector and the cooperative sector to invest on establishing, equipping and developing bicycle-based transportation systems, some funds and loans will be granted to the organizations to take step toward this goal, she highlighted.

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