Cyclist mocks new narrow bicycle lane saying ‘my shoulders are wider’

Several cyclist have slammed the new cycle lane painted on Reading Bridge which is barely wide enough to fit in. The freshly-marked lane at Reading Bridge, has prompted ridicule & accusations of wasting taxpayer’s money from the local cycling community.

One angry man offered a ‘handy tip’ to those who re-painted the lines, blasting: ‘If you can’t fit the bike picture in the lane, it’s not wide enough.

Twitter user Oli said: ‘’Cycle lanes’ painted onto Reading bridge. Very narrow (handlebar width 50cm). How anyone could think this makes people on bicycles feel safer is baffling. Total waste of money and effort. To enable people to cycle we need protected infrastructure’

‘It is so terrible that it actively encourages drivers to closely pass as drivers wil assume that is all the space people on bikes need. ’

An investigation by Reading West can reveal that the hastily installed lanes measure are just 1.12 metre wide from the boundary line of the lane to the gutter of the sidewalk, well short of national recommended guidelines which is 2 metres by the Department for Transport, Institution of Highways and Transportation, CTC, DoT, etc.

1.12 meters

In an statement Reading Borough council said “In an ideal world there would be enough road space to make them mandatory, but that is not the case at Reading Bridge. The change of layout makes the best use of the limited road space available within the regulations, and it is worth noting a traffic lane has been removed to accommodate the new cycle lanes.”

“The Council considered reducing pavement widths, but this would have reduced space for pedestrians trying to socially distance at this time. It would also have taken much longer to implement. Installing kerbs or posts would have further reduced the width of lanes for cyclists.”

A council member that didn’t want to be named told us that, “Legally it’s not a bike lane as per National guidelines, It’s really an interim measure given the widths available on that bridge.” said the council member.

Aidan a Reading cyclist told us this morning, “It’s not the standard of what we expect for bike lanes” said Aidan. “I don’t really think there’s a place for painted bike lanes that are a metre wide.”

Whether it’s a legal bike lane or simply a “space for cyclists,” Aidan says the council should never have painted lanes that are below standard. 

In reality, this bike lane is too narrow to be considered a bike lane at all. It is putting bikers in danger. This puts cyclists just inches away from fast moving vehicles, causing cars to frequently veer into the median to avoid hitting cyclists using the marked lanes.

Recommended cycle lane widths from published guidance