If you're looking for a good workout or simply love to pedal around on a bicycle, and live not far from KK Nagar , here's the perfect thing for you: After several years in the works, the city's first dedicated bicycle track will open to the public in the neighbourhood next week.The 3.8km track along P T Rajan Salai, Lakshmanswamy Salai and Ramaswamy Salai aims will offer a safe lane for thousands of schoolchildren and other cyclists.But public opinion is divided on the project. While some are enthusiastic about the facility, others are sceptical if it will succeed since Chennai, like most other metros, is plagued by encroachments.Effective utilisation of the facility depends on two factors, its safety and lack of encroachments. Several metros across the country created highquality infrastructure for cyclists but the initiatives fizzled out mainly due to encroachments.Even if the infrastructure is good, the attitude of people to cyclists needs to change, says cofounder of We are Chennai Cycling Group (WCCG) Divagaran Thiyagarajan. "People constantly honk and don't see us as road users," Thiyagarajan says."Many people, especially children, will be motivated.But the success of the track depends on how disciplined we are in using it."The city should also have sharing systems and parking spaces for bicycles, he added.The civic body will in a fortnight receive a project report by a private body on the initiative.Residents in the neighbourhood say cab operators, particularly on Ramaswamy Salai, create congestion. "Cabs and vans that ferry students use pavements to park," said resident Rajaram K.Several people to don't have parking space near banks, temples and education institutions. A staff from the Anna Velankanni Matriculation School in MGR Nagar say only a handful of their students cycle to school as they have little parking space. "We also don't encourage cycling because it's risky," said Jaya, the school's representative.In 2010, corporation had planned 14km of dedicated bicycle tracks in Anna Nagar. A study found 7,000 children cycle to 14 schools in the locality. The plan was shelved due to lack of funds and metro rail work. Urban planners say the bicycle track in KK Nagar could be far less useful because it is only 3.8km long and the locality has fewer schools than Anna Nagar. "If it's successful, this can be a precursor to more tracks in other parts of the city ," said a repre sentative of Chennai City Connect, a body that provides technical support to the corporation.An official said the corporation is removing encroachments almost every day. "We are planning a sustained awareness campaign among residents and commuters," the official said. "We have also met police officers to work together to fight encroachments."

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