Designated cycle lane for Toti

THERE has been some confusion regarding a cycle lane marked along several roads in Athlone Park, with fears being raised for both cyclists’ and motorists’ safety.

Former chairman of Amanzimtoti Cycling Club, Brian Clifton has cleared some of the confusion.

“I have been working through the club for more than 10 years to get a cycle lane for Toti. The result of many frustrating hours of negotiations with eThekwini Municipality is that they have agreed to the demarcation of a designated cycle lane of about 10km in Athlone Park.

The complete route is from the Moss Kolnick and Kingsway intersection, north along Kingsway to Shamrock Road. It continues left into Shamrock Road, right into Ramble Road, left into Hudd Road heading south, right into Dickens Road and left into Arbour Road. It continues along Arbour Road, left into Moss Kolnick and back to Kingsway.

“This is a designated cycling lane, and under no circumstances is it a dedicated lane. When the project is complete, we hope to have signage erected to explain the ‘how’s and when’s’. The idea is that the lane will be in use from 4.30am to 6.30am. We hope to improve the awareness of motorists to the presence of cyclists during these times.”

Brian reiterated that the normal rules of the road will still apply:

• Cyclists must ride in a single file at all times.
• A motorist may only overtake another vehicle (such as a bicycle) when it is safe to do so.

“Our road facilities, sadly, do not allow for a dedicated lane currently. The next best thing is to make motorists more aware of cyclists in the area, and hopefully there will be sufficient consideration shown on both sides. Unfortunately the project has come to a standstill, despite our pleas about the danger being created by the confusion. Hopefully I will get a completion date from the project team this week.”

Road works along Kingsway has also caused delays.

Once complete, the club will host a launch function for the lane.

The Sun queried the cycle lane with eThekwini Municipality.

“Bicycles are legal road vehicles and the city is embarking on highlighting the need for motorists to be aware of cyclists and to respect their presence on the road. Lane markings on Arbour Road depict that the lane is effectively shared between cyclists and motorists. The lane markings highlight to motorists that they must respect a cyclist’s presence. The city believes that mutual respect of all road users is needed for safety,”said head of communications, Tozi Mthethwa.

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