Capetonian cyclists still await promised paradise

Six years ago a multimillion- rand joint provincial and City of Cape Town plan was announced to turn the Western Cape into a cyclists' paradise.

Safe cycle lanes and paths were to be laid throughout the province, while parts of the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour route through Simon's Town, past Smitswinkel Bay and Scarborough, were to get dedicated safe cycle ways.

This was to have been part of the metropolitan bike network plan developed by the province and the city of Cape Town's transport department.

But critics say little has been done and that more and more cyclists are being killed or maimed in traffic accidents.

Dave Bellairs, the co-director of the Cycle Tour, says the city has failed to acknowledge the thousands of cyclists using the roads. And he declared that a lot more people would ride to work if it wasn't so dangerous.

Bellairs, who also sits on the Pedal Power Association committee, said it was probably time for the organisation to appoint someone to lobby the government full time for better facilities.

He said most of the cyclists killed or injured had been riding responsibly at the time.

"People like to blame cyclists, but we have every right to be on the road."

There have been four accidents involving cyclists in greater Cape Town since the beginning of the year, and in two of those the cyclists each lost a leg.

Pedal Power Association chairman Steve Hayward said the city had installed some cycling lanes, but they wanted to see more.

"Where there used to be yellow lines in some areas, there are now dotted lines with a cyclist drawn on the road."

Hayward said the city was also laying cycle tracks alongside the new Integrated Rapid Transport (IRT) lanes, but some of these would also be for pedestrians.

"These are more for commuting than for recreational riding. Cyclists also often train in groups of up to 40 on a Saturday and Sunday and it might not be suitable on these paths."

Cape Argus

Posted at 10:34AM Mar 08, 2010 by Editor in Residential  |  Comments[4]