The new bicycle autobahn in Germany, featured in The National yesterday, is a good example of what countries can do to support cycling and active lifestyles. Every cyclist – and those people who are interested in cycling but worried about their safety – would love to be able to travel on a long, smooth path, with no red lights and no cars or lorries. Dedicated highways such as this differ from recreational bicycle paths because they connect destinations, meaning they can be used by commuters to get from point to point without having to share a road with motorised vehicles.
While the UAE has a growing number of dedicated cycling tracks, few of them are connected to each other or to commuter hubs. While some cyclists do take to the open roads to complete their journeys, this is sometimes impossible. In Dubai, for example, for their own safety cyclists are sensibly banned from roads with a speed limit above 60 kph.
The provision of infrastructure for cyclists is lagging behind demand. In general, our roads are wide and they could easily be redesigned in a way that accommodated cyclists as well as cars. For safety reasons, bicycle lanes would have to be segregated from the main traffic – an approach that has encouraged more people to cycle in other parts of the world. Where new roads are being built, the grid could be designed to build bicycle autobahns along the German model.
The National has long supported cycling as a healthy lifestyle option and a means of reducing traffic congestion, which is a growing problem. Our second #CycletoWorkUAE campaign will culminate in a group ride on Tuesday, January 12. We realise that many people will take their bicycles on to the road on a regular basis only if they feel safe to do so. However, it is also true that a change in attitude towards cycling and the provision of infrastructure will only come when cyclists make themselves more visible.
If more people cycle, there will be a positive impact on public health. Making our cities pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly is also an important step towards a sustainable future.
