Lahore's biker lane paint washes away in rain

Thursday's rain showers in Lahore have resulted in multiple videos surfacing online, showing that the green paint of Punjab government's Bike Lane on Ferozpur Road has washed away, turning the track into a slippery hazard.

It can be seen in a video that the Bike Lane turned black from green, with one person heard saying that the road has lost almost 70 percent of its green colour. “Green colour has gone into drains,” the man filming the video can be heard saying.

Last month, dedicated lanes for cyclists and motorcyclists were introduced on Lahore’s Ferozpur Road, painted green and orange. As per  media reports, the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) had spent over Rs110 million on the paint alone. 

On the directives of Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Maryam Nawaz, LDA had started constructing the 10-kilometre (KM) dedicated biker lane from Canal Road to Lahore Bridge on Ferozepur Road. The 12-foot-wide lanes are separated by curbs and green paint, promising better traffic flow and biker safety. 

Orange and green colours were used to improve the visibility during the test run of the biker lane on Ferozpur Road.

Multiple videos showing the green Bike Lane returning back to its tarmac colour have emerged online, with internet users demanding that the contractor be held accountable.

Politician Moonis Elahi took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a picture of the eroded painted on Friday, writing, “Millions of rupees in publicity, billions of rupees in lime! The first rain in Lahore washed away all the dirt and artificial paint from the […] exhibition bike lane.”

“The paint on Lahore's Motorcycle Green Line faded away after the first rain. Even the cheapest paint doesn’t wash off after just one rain. It seems like the contractor used lime instead of paint, which couldn’t even withstand a single downpour,” a social media user said while lambasting the road contractor.

Another user quipped that the first rain had washed away the magician’s green paint, and now motorcyclists are wandering the streets in search of their Green Line.

“Just a few days ago, the green and red bikers’ lane was painted at a cost of millions, hailed as a revolutionary project. But after just one rain, the colours have faded away. Public tax money is being lost to corruption, yet anyone who dares to question it,” lamented another user.