15 October 2002: The Galway Cycle Campaign has issued a safety warning to cyclists and motorists over new red ‘cycle lane’ markings that have been marked on the edge of the Western Distributor road in Galway. The GCC point out that there are serious safety problems associated with the use of such devices in other countries.

The UK Cycle Campaign Network (CCN) estimates that in urban areas ‘well-implemented’ cycle lanes will typically increase risk by 10%. The Danish Roads Directorate also cites three studies as showing a 10% increase in bicycle accidents where cycle lanes have been established on urban roads. A recent project in the English city of Gloucester included the introduction of 12 miles of cycle lanes.

The cycle lanes have been very controversial among local cyclists, many of whom felt they had made the roads more dangerous. Adult cyclist casualties rose by 2% - 9%, child cyclist casualties rose by 16%, while the overall level of cycle use fell over the period of the project. Even in the Netherlands it is now conceded that major junctions are safer if the connecting roads do not have cycle lanes.

The devices that have been marked in Galway have also been found to be of a substandard width, substantially below the recommended minimum of two metres.

The GCC says that the standard safe cycling advice is that cyclists should get out of narrow cycle lanes well before all junctions including those with side-roads.