Imagine flying above the coast on a short trip from Hibberdene to Port Edward. Looking out the window of the plane you can see bicycle lanes as a continuous, single, coloured strip unifying the entire Hibiscus coast from one end to the other.

Interesting fact finding taken from the South African ARRIVE ALIVE online campaign!

• In fact, it has been shown that the safety of cyclists improves as the number of cyclists increases (Krag, 2002). For example, in Copenhagen and Odense, an increase in cycling has been brought about with a corresponding decrease in the number of accidents involving cyclists (Krag, 2002).
• This may be attributable to the introduction of specific safety measures but may also be partially explained by the fact that the higher the level of cycling, the more cyclists on the road and the more car drivers become aware of and pay attention to cyclists (Krag, 2002).
• The more cyclists there are therefore, the potentially safer the individual cyclist (Jensen, 1998 in Road Directorate, 2000).

Our R61 road is frequently used by pedestrians, dog walkers, joggers and cyclists alike. Road demarcations , together with appropriate signage,  will help drivers become more aware of the presence of cyclists making it safer for all road users. It is also known that cyclists generally feel safer when using cycle lanes.

At present South Africa has a “Top Down” hierarchical order on our roads. Motorists give way to the person with the biggest vehicle. This encourages road “bullying” and aggression. This attitude is combated through the use of education tools (courses, pamphlets, signage, media etc) thereby creating the switch to a “Bottom Up” hierarchical attitude.

Bike lanes are defined as “a portion of the roadway which has been designated by striping, signing and pavement marking for the preferential or exclusive use by cyclists”. Bicycle lanes make the movements of both motorists and cyclists more predictable and as with other bicycle facilities there are advantages to all road users in striping them on the roadway.

Bicycle-friendly cities such as London and Amsterdam in Europe and various cities in the U.S have developed extensive bike lane networks since the 1970′s and more recently large cities such as Tucson, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Portland and Seattle have begun to stripe bike lanes on their arterial and collector streets as a way of encouraging bicycle use.

There are a number of innovative bike lane designs that have been tried and tested to overcome particular barriers to cycling, or to solve a problem in a particular location.

• Coloured bike lanes have been a feature of bicycle infrastructure in the Netherlands (red), Denmark (blue), France (green) and many other countries for many years. In the United Kingdom, both red and green pigments are used to delineate bike lanes and bike boxes.
• A growing number of communities are using shared bus and bike lanes to give preferential treatment to both bikes and public transport.
• While bike lanes should normally carry cyclists in the direction of traffic, there are some locations where there is a strong demand for cyclists to travel against the normal flow of traffic, or to travel in both directions on a one-way street.

34  Great Reasons To Have One Continuous Cycle Lane between Hibberdene and Port Edward 

1. Unifying the Hibiscus coast with a single, continuous demarcated cycle strip
2. Our Hibiscus Coast Will be Seen to Join the Global Environmental Initiative in Lowering our Carbon Footprint
3. Tourism Spin off – The Hibiscus Coast as a Quality Road Biking Destination
4. Giving Citizens a Cost Effective Alternative to Public Transport
5. A Local Governmental Alternative to a High Quality Transportation System
6. More Resources for Public Use
7. High-Tech Business Is Attracted by a Perceived Better Quality of Life
8. Improved Personal Finances
9. Promoting a healthy lifestyle – Better Physical Health
10. Better Mental and Emotional Health
11. Fewer Overweight and Obese Citizens
12. More Free Time
13. More Beauty
14. Greater Mobility
15. Inclusion of all Cultures and Age Groups, including Senior Citizens
16. More Equitable Living for Low Income Earners
17. Increased Sense of Community
18. Individual Opportunities for Safer Travel
19. Less Congested Roads
20. Safer, Quieter Neighbourhoods – Lowering Noise Pollution
21. Enhanced and More Credible Metropolitan Image
22. Better Air Quality
23. Visually More Appealing Metropolitan Area
24. Cleaner Surface and Ground Water
25. Quieter City
26. Slowed Pace of Global Warming
27. More Sustainable Lifestyle
28. Recognition for Leadership in Sound Environmental Policy
29. Readiness for Other Environmental Initiatives
30. Enhanced Quality of Life for Women
31. Promote an Internationally Recognized Sport Right Here on The Hibiscus Coast
32. Increase in Local Property Values.
33. Correlation with Overall Wealth.
34. Enhance the Opportunity for Local Business Growth

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