Do you think riding a bike should not be allowed where there is no bike lane?

Cycling started, from the beginning of invention, the world over, without bicycle lanes.

While there is concern that lack of lanes make cycling unsafe on roads, there are also issues with safety even when they are in place because there is no protection for cyclists if behaviour of car drivers and other road users do not change.

No Surprise: Study Finds Sharrows Don't Make Streets Safer

Based on this Infographic, posted on Forbes, it is obvious that there are less road fatalities reported for cyclists in a country when there are more people are involved in cycling.


So, the best way to initiate cycling in your own country is to start a movement, whereby, a group of cyclists make a commitment to make cycling safe with the support of their government so that cycling-specific infrastructure should be part of the development and proper guidelines for all road users are reinforced by the relevant government agencies.

If you would like to work on that, I have shared many useful links in the following write up on, "How can public transportation be integrated for urban cycling?”

Following are links to bike movements that you can emulate to increase participation:
About CicLAvia
Midnight Ridazz Bicycle Ride
List of rides from The Critical Mass - Cycling as a Political Statement

Finding ways to integrate cycling with public transport

The first thing to do is to make it safe for cyclists to use public roads. So, cycling-specific infrastructure, such as, bicycle lanes should be part of the development by government agencies.



Since it is not possible to go long distances on a bicycle, cyclists will consider utilising public transport part of the way.



Would you be comfortable parking your bicycle in an open space environment like this?



If bicycles are not allowed to be brought up public transport during peak period, there must be allocated parking spaces that have been enhanced to prevent theft and the elements of nature that could damage bicycles.

Once these issues are looked into, there are many ways to integrate cycling with public transport. The good thing is that you do not have to crack your head for answers.

If you google "public transport and cycling", you will find many reports and studies made on integrating cycling with public transport. Reading them will inspire you to discover ways to adopt some of the ideas for your own country.

These are some I found by searching "public transport and cycling":

Integrating cycling with public transport

Public transport and cycling: living apart or together?

Another way to find more of such reports is to google “intermodality bicycle”. These are links I found through that search.

Cycling and Intermodality

Bikeways and intermodality between bicycles and public transport