Cycle lanes planned for all major towns

TWO WHEELS are better than four: this will be the government’s catchphrase in a move to create proper bicycle lanes in towns.

Plans to make local roads safer for cyclists while alleviating the urban gridlock have been backed by the EU Life programme.

The EU has approved a plan for environmental studies for the introduction of cycle paths to be carried out in the four major towns in the free areas.

The project to introduce independent cycle lanes will start in Paphos, then move on to Nicosia, Larnaca and finally Limassol.

Town Planning department official George Hadjimichael told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) that the government was undertaking this move to promote sustainable development and increase environmental protection.

There is also the added incentive that bicycle networks will help relieve traffic congestion and reduce pollution.

But Hadjimichael has no illusion about the difficulties of getting people out of their cars and on their bikes.

The age of car-free roads is some way off, Hadjimichael conceded, but warned:

“We have come to a point where our towns are almost inhuman, especially during peak hours. This attitude (of car dependence) has to change.”

In order to push the eco-friendly message that two wheels are better than four, a series of lectures, debates and meetings will take place over the next three years.

During this period, emphasis will be put on creating safer and more accessible bike lanes.

“Today, 75 per cent of any route a cyclist might take is dangerous. We want to make this 75 per cent an independent track where the cyclist can feel completely safe,” said Hadjimichael.

Smaller roads could be turned into one-way streets to make them safer for cyclists, he added.

Hadjimichael is expecting some hostile reaction from local authorities, but he said municipalities had allocated £10,000 for practical structures.

Two island-wide surveys will be carried out to see how far Cypriots are willing to let cycle lanes into their daily lives.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.