In this article series, I will one-by-one focus on situations where observations and interviews with cyclists led to suggestions for improving or changing existing practices. These situations include the elevated (“Danish”) bike lanes on Smetanovo Embankment, the passage of transit stop platforms, and the need for indirect left turns. The fourth issue we looked into was riding in advisory bike lanes without the ability to overtake with sufficient lateral distance, but the observations were insufficient to draw firm conclusions.
In this first article, we will address the experience with the bike lanes on Smetanovo Embankment and recommendations for their more suitable design in the future.
When it comes to the sense of safety in integrated cycling measures, bike lanes separated from the roadway by a curb clearly stand out. In a survey conducted in the spring of 2023 among participants of Prague’s “Bike to Work” challenge, 91% of respondents considered Danish-style lanes to be relatively safe. For comparison, 65% saw dedicated bike lanes as safe, 55% felt this way about advisory bike lanes, and 28% about sharrows [piktokoridory – eds.].
Observations confirmed the preference and functionality of the bike lanes, including their passage through intersections when done correctly. At the junction of Smetanovo Embankment and Divadelní Street, priority has been changed, and cyclists now have the right of way when going straight. In the focus group on Smetanovo Embankment, it was noted that this priority is generally respected.
However, not everything is perfect. It was generally noted (and confirmed through observation) that the visibility of bike lanes on Smetanovo Embankment is insufficient, particularly at the intersection near the National Theatre. Focus group participants called for highlighting the entrance to the shared bike lane after the intersection with Národní Street. Pedestrians at the northern crosswalk often wait for the green light right in the bike lane.
Another issue observed was that vehicles turning right from Masarykovo Embankment into Národní Street often failed to yield to cyclists and pedestrians, entering the bike lane before giving way. This area would benefit from marking the bike lane with color at the intersection.
The problems at both corners are also exacerbated by the placement of the curb, which mentally positions the bike lane as part of the sidewalk. The logical design, consistent with Danish practice, is that the „main“ curb at the corner should separate the bike lane from the sidewalk. This way, pedestrians will be less likely to wait in the bike lane before crossing, and vehicles turning right will perceive the bike lane in the intersection more as a bike lane where they must yield to cyclists going straight.
The respect shown for the bike lane at the intersection with Divadelní Street also indicates that highlighting the bike lane at intersections is only necessary in certain places. This aligns with the experience from Copenhagen, where the well-known blue coloring of bike lanes is applied only in justified cases and at most on two arms of an intersection at the same time. However, this option needs to be available, which the current approach to surfaces in the Prague Heritage Conservation Department does not offer.
On Smetanovo Embankment, the bike lane runs directly along the edge of the roadway, so there is no need to emphasize it with a different color. However, in areas where the lanes are part of pedestrian zones or sidewalks (such as in the Museum Oasis), they are not visible to pedestrians at all, functioning as „hidden“ infrastructure, noticeable only to cyclists.
We didn’t conduct observations in the Museum Oasis, but from our own experience, cyclists naturally stay on the smoother pavement of the lane, though it’s not obvious to others. This leads to relatively close encounters, as pedestrians can’t „see“ where an approaching cyclist will ride. The nature of the problem differs from the riverside promenade (náplavka), where the smoother lanes are visible but attract pedestrians due to the rough paving around them, leading to similarly high levels of conflict.
For future bike lanes in large pedestrian areas, like the upcoming ones on Wenceslas Square, it is worth considering using paving stones in a different color to make it visually clear that it is a bike path. Danish-style lanes running alongside the roadway should be constructed like a roadway, usually with asphalt, even behind parked vehicles. It’s important to emphasize that Danish lanes are functionally part of the roadway, not the sidewalk, especially when the curb towards the sidewalk is lower.
In Danish lanes, it’s essential to highlight that they are operationally part of the roadway, not the sidewalk, particularly when the curb towards the sidewalk is lower.
The 8 cm sloped curb used on Smetanovo Embankment does not match the solutions used in Denmark or Austria, where horizontal curbs with a 0-2 cm step are used. The sloped curb is not safe for cyclists unless approached almost perpendicularly, even at low speeds. This complicates bypassing obstacles, such as illegally parked cars, which could otherwise be done by slowing down if a low curb were installed. We observed that when cars park in the lane on Smetanovo Embankment, cyclists prefer to ride the entire stretch (more than 200 meters) in the traffic lane with tram tracks, which is undesirable behavior.
The existing sloped curb is also unsuitable for wheelchair users and other pedestrians who prefer the smoother surface of the bike lane over the sidewalk’s mosaic. Wheelchair users find it difficult to move aside for cyclists over the 8 cm sloped curb. Paradoxically, the „barrier-free“ curb creates a new barrier here.
According to recommendations from Ema Rónová (Facebook group Nejen toalety pro všechny), an alternative for wheelchair users and other pedestrians requiring a smooth surface would be to install a smooth strip of sidewalk about one meter wide near the buildings. This would also clearly mark the space along the guide line for the visually impaired, where obstacles should not be placed.
There are almost no suitable solutions for separating bike lanes from sidewalks while complying with local standards. Ultimately, the most suitable approach, even in heritage areas, will likely be a horizontal separation with a warning strip, as is done on separated paths (C 10). However, it will be necessary to differentiate the bike lane with a different surface color.
The bike lanes on Smetanovo Embankment are 2.0 meters wide. We observed that this width does not allow comfortable overtaking, yet it is wide enough for some cyclists to attempt to do so, which can lead to dangerous situations. According to Copenhagen standards, bike lanes that allow overtaking should be 2.25 meters wide, while those not intended for overtaking historically measure just 1.75 meters.
Occasional parking directly on the bike lane has been observed. Focus group participants recommended more prominently separating the existing bike lane from the roadway along its entire length—such as with a more pronounced curb or aesthetically appropriate bollards.
Bollards could be considered a suitable solution if parking on the bike lanes starts exceeding acceptable limits. However, installing bollards would reduce the usable width of the bike lane by approximately 0.5 meters, so for overtaking, the total width of the bike lane, including bollards, should be up to 2.75 meters, which approaches the dimensions of a two-way path.
The surveys conducted resulted in the following recommendations for lanes separated from the roadway:
This is an adjusted machine translation using Automat’s CycleLingo Translator (ChatGPT) of this article: https://mestemnakole.cz/2024/08/vyskove-oddelene-cyklopasy-v-praze-co-zlepsit/
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