Rider pleads for bicycle lanes on roads

Cyclist Michael Williams has vowed to continue his advocacy for cycling lanes to be created on major thoroughfares throughout the island.

Williams, one of the founders of the Fun and Drills Cycling Club, said he has been trying to convince the government to create cycling lanes for some time, but to date his pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

"I have been begging, I asked them about Mandela Highway and for Palisadoes roadway to have bicycle lanes," said Williams, who is also general secretary of the National Democratic Movement.

Pedal cyclists are listed among the vulnerable road users in Jamaica. Last year, 24 pedal cyclists were killed in crashes compared to 17 in 2022. A staggering 425 persons died as a result of crashes last year.

"They are not thinking about bicycle riders, and the prime minister himself is a bicycle rider. He comes with us on rides to Montego Bay and all of that," Williams told THE STAR.

He opined that bicycle lanes "can easily be put in on major thoroughfares" as they are only four feet wide.

The cyclist renewed call for the installation of cycling lanes come against the backdrop of a frightening incident on the Palisadoes Strip on Monday morning where a rider was nearly mowed down by a recklessly driven motor vehicle.

"The driver came on to the bicycle rider, who was on the other side of the road, so it is the skill of the bicycle rider that I would say that saved him. It was carelessness on the part of the driver because a lot of times they don't see bicycles. Absolutely, much more could be done to protect riders on the roads," Williams said.