Cycle Superhighways
Monday 19th July, 2010 Leave a Comment
The first two of London’s planned 12 Cycle Superhighways routes were launched today, offering 1.5 meter wide uninterrupted cycle lanes direct into the city centre, painted in a distinctive blue colour. And while the new cycle lanes have attracted some criticism they are certainly a step in the right direction.
Dublin’s cycle lanes are a bit of mixed bag. And even the best of the lanes can suddenly stop without warning, and deposit the rider back into fast-moving traffic. And shared-use bus lanes can be very scary for inexperienced cyclists, say when you’ve got an Aircoach bearing down on you.
The best answer seems to be segregated (and well-maintained) cycle lanes, separated from the rest of traffic. Of course this would require some investment, and would almost certainly be implemented to the detriment of motor vehicles in many places, with the removal of lanes of traffic and/or parking spots. But the rewards to the people of Dublin would be incalculable. It would encourage mass use of bikes, which is good for everyone’s health, and (dare I say it?) make the city a nicer place to live.
