The enforcement of the priority bus and minibus-taxi (BMT) lanes along Main and Sir Lowry Roads will kick-in this week (see previous article) . This will involve the curb-side lanes going into and out of Cape Town’s CBD kept clear for buses and taxis between 7am and 9am, and 4pm and 6pm respectively. The prioritisation of public transport over private car users is seen as another step forward in overcoming the city’s addiction to cars. This is definitely a positive move by the City, but there’s an obvious trade-off. Given buses and taxis will be travelling freely between the curb and the inevitable traffic jam along the center of the road, there is no space left for bicycles.
Bicycle lanes are soon to be constructed along Albert Road, which runs parallel to Main and Sir Lowry Roads a few blocks North. It seems the City’s view is that bicycles will use the Albert Road route, steering clear of Main and Sir Lowry Roads. This may seem reasonable, but the simple fact is that people will still cycle along the Main and Sir Lowry Road route. Even now, I feel safer riding Albert Road, but often ride into the city along Main Road anyway. I acknowledge that it is more dangerous, yet I still do it. Besides it being along the desire lines of cyclists, hugging the contour of Devil’s Peak, there are many destinations along Main and Sir Lowry Roads that people will naturally need to get to by bicycle.
As anyone who cycles along this route (or even Albert Road) knows, the experience of a Golden Arrow bus passing within a meter at 80km/h is utterly terrifying. It is just a matter of time before one of these roaring beasts takes a bicyclist’s life. I have no doubt that if I’d been hit on one of the countless times a bus has sped by within a meter of me, I would have ended up critically injured, but more likely it would have been the end of me. There’s certainly not enough space along the curb-side lane for buses to safely pass cyclists. Given their reputation, I can’t imagine buses slowing down or waiting to safely pass a cyclist.
Public transport and bicycles are on the same team (the anti-car / livable city team that is), but they are certainly not meant to share the road. Main Road is not the N2 i.e. a highway where you won’t find anything without a motor.
My point is, these BMT lanes are bicycle deathtraps. In our quest to become a sustainable and mobile city, we obviously need to prioritise public transport as much as possible. I think this move by the City is admirable, but as someone who often cycles into the city, this is something I’ve been thinking about. Is it reasonable for the City to ask cyclists to stick to Albert Road, or ignorant to think that they will? I don’t know the answer, but I’d love to hear the views of others.
Note: This post was written before a cyclist was killed by a Golden Arrow bus in Kalk Bay on Wednesday 24 October. The sad news emphasizes the danger of forcing these buses and cyclists to use the same narrow road space.
Image courtesy of warrenski at flickr.com
Gareth Pearson
Latest posts by Gareth Pearson (see all)
- The Rise and Fall of Suburbia – December 20, 2012
- The wrong reasons for planting pine trees on the Grand Parade – December 20, 2012
- Jane Jacobs: Neighbourhoods in Action – December 19, 2012
- Placemaking & Seattle – December 19, 2012
- Do our roads promote reckless driving? – December 17, 2012
