Changing city priorities: Let’s do more to promote cycling

A simple reordering of priorities may make our capital city, or at least a segment of it, more attractive to cyclists and encourage more people to use this sensible, healthy and environmentally commendable form of transport.

The National Transport Authority is to fund a study that will look at the impact of putting cycle lanes inside car parking spaces rather than between parked cars and moving traffic. This would offer cyclists a buffer zone and, hopefully, end the shabby practice of motorists parking in cycle lanes.

We seem to have a less than enthusiastic attitude towards cycling as a means of transport in our towns and cities. Weather and cultural reasons feed this reluctance, but so too do planning decisions and how we prioritise access for cars and trucks. Maybe it’s time to change that mindset and kill two birds with one stone.