I feel that some of the reactions to the article "Bicycle lanes being designed by people who never rode a bike" (TMIS, 31 July) indicate that some readers may need further explanation. That cycle lanes are not designed for cyclists, if they are not to a set standard or width, should be self-evident. But truth be told, we tend to design cycle lanes for driver convenience, to get vehicular cyclists out of the way of drivers. The old election promise of "cycle lanes where there is space" does just that, for if there was "space to cycle" wasn't it already safe? It often was.

It's where there isn't space that the safety of cyclists is problematic and that is often too difficult for road planners who have no practical experience of cycling to work to resolve against the needs of traffic flow. Cycle lanes are meant to help non cyclists (drivers) switch to using a bike instead of the car (even one day a week makes a significant difference to national emissions). But they cannot do that if such lanes are short, disconnected and terrifying to get to or from? So if we are not designing them for novice cyclists or enabling them to reach them, who are we designing them for?

With regard to narrow paint only cycle lanes (like Mgarr) or murder-strips, as we call them, drivers tend to ignore riders thinking they will be in their (poorly) designed lane. Driving faster they will focus on a narrower tunnel vision view and could clip the cyclist who cannot possibly ride down a lane narrower than his or her handlebars. It’s actually dangerous for both driver and cyclist.

For many years Maltese road planners have said, apart from traffic is a perception, that cycling is for short trips in villages. Yet here we are building middle of nowhere, going nowhere cycle lanes and not one bit of cyclist infrastructure in a town or village? The explanation is our roads are too narrow, as in many medieval towns, but if they are, are they not too narrow for the new crop of 20% larger cars, SUVs and 4x4s. And it doesn't just have to be cycle lanes, in this context we can use cycle routes, contraflows and modal filters.

So again our planners don't seem to be walking the talk, while daily congestion in those villages, that have become mere one way parking lots, that only e-foot scooters seem to be able to cross with ease, should be indicative that our transport system is very much broken.

 

Jim Wightman

St Julian’s