Vilnius proposes to legalize “bicycle streets”: cyclists could not bend on them

The Traffic Safety Commission asked the Ministry of Transport and Communications to initiate amendments to the Lithuanian Traffic Rules legalizing the concept of “bicycle street”. The proposal aims to constantly improve the quality of bicycle use, improve the traffic culture and clearly regulate the movement of road users, emphasizing that there is no influence in the current legal framework to prioritize cyclists over other vehicles.

“To encourage as many people as possible to choose a bicycle, we need legal regulation that gives cyclists priority over other vehicles. This will allow us to create a calmer and more people-oriented city, where transport does not cause so much pain. head like now, ”said Vilnius City Deputy Mayor Vytautas Mitalas.

The regulation of various models of “bike paths” is used by advanced countries that have developed a bicycle culture, such as the Netherlands and Denmark, as well as by Belgium, Germany and Latvia. After analyzing the practices applied by these countries, Vilnius proposes to legalize the “cycle path” regulation applied in Belgium and the Netherlands, which is defined by the following basic rules: “cycle path” signs are installed only in quiet streets where the speed limit It is 30 km / h. and lower; On the “bicycle street”, the right of priority over other vehicles applies to cyclists: cars cannot pass them; cyclists can also use the full width of the traffic lane, they do not have to move to the right at the edge of the right curb; On a “bicycle street”, the speed of cars is limited by road signs, horizontal markings and / or infrastructure measures; The beginning and the end of the “bicycle street” are also marked with traffic signs.

The Vilnius city municipality, in search of solutions for the use of more comfortable bicycles and to inform traffic participants, had launched the initiative “Bicycle-friendly street”: a few years ago, additional signage appeared in the city to draw the attention of drivers to cyclists, but this sign was not and is not provided for by law and is therefore not binding.

“In the central part of Vilnius, in residential areas, quiet traffic streets predominate, where no separate infrastructure for bicycles is planned due to lack of space and the multifunctionality of the street, mixed traffic predominates. The Municipality of Vilnius is implementing plans for the humanization of quiet traffic streets: their redesign, the reorganization of traffic with tactical urban planning and infrastructure measures. However, despite the restrictions imposed by signs or infrastructure measures, drivers still tend to exceed the speed limit or not follow the prescribed safe distance recommendations when cornering, putting drivers at risk. cyclists ”, commented Anton Nikitin, member of the Road Safety Commission and Head of Sustainable Transport.

Vilnius’s proposed regulation would help 17 other Lithuanian cities and towns that have developed and approved sustainable urban mobility plans and face similar challenges in solving traffic organization problems.