MPD plans to expand Tokyo's bike lanes
TOKYO - The Metropolitan Police Department and the central and Tokyo metropolitan governments have decided to create bicycle lanes totaling about 100 kilometers along major roads in the capital city, in response to a growing number of cyclists commuting or using roads to make deliveries amid the spread of the new coronavirus.
The MPD will create the lanes over about 17 kilometers during this fiscal year and extend them over the next five to six years.
It will simultaneously crack down on cyclists who do not obey traffic regulations and illegal parking of vehicles in these lanes to reduce traffic accidents.
Cyclists are in principle required to ride on streets. About 80% of the new construction zones will be furnished with a bicycle lane - a width of 1.5 meters or more toward the edge - with a section that features a line in blue or other colors that stand out along the left side of the road.
Some of the remaining 20% will be made by dividing a portion of the roadway with curbs or fencing, while others will have directional markings on the road with arrows to indicate lanes for bicycles and cars.
It is a violation for cyclists to ride in the opposite direction, or for vehicles or motorcycles to use the lanes.
This fiscal year, the MPD plans to add bicycle lanes to over 10 kilometers of national roads and 7 kilometers of municipal roads, which include areas on along National Highway Route No. 1 in Minato Ward, Kasuga-dori street in Bunkyo Ward and Waseda-dori street in Nakano Ward. All of these roadways handle a high amount of bicycle traffic.
The MPD will deliberate with the central and Tokyo governments to determine additional sections to be set up in the next fiscal year.
Bicycle lanes have been increasingly on the rise since about a decade ago in response to the continued number of accidents involving bicycles and pedestrians on sidewalks.
As of March last year, there were 761 bike lanes nationwide along a sum of about 483 kilometers, nearly 70 kilometers of which are in Tokyo.
There are also lanes along streets in the Kanto region, including Tochigi, Saitama and Chiba prefectures, as well as urban areas in Hyogo, Osaka and Fukuoka prefectures.
The number of cyclists has been on the rise since spring, when efforts to reduce person-to-person contact have been in place because of the coronavirus pandemic. According to an au Insurance Co. survey on 500 bicycle commuters living in Tokyo, 23% started biking to work after infections spread, with about 95% of them choosing to do so "to avoid commuting via public transportation."
Demand for "bike sharing" has also increased. According to Docomo Bikeshare Inc., based in Minato Ward, Tokyo, the number of new subscribers in both June and July was about 20% higher than in March. Many users rely on the service for commutes and shopping, and the service has been available in 12 Tokyo wards, including Nakano, since July.
The increased number of bikers has raised concerns over growing risks of unsafe driving and accidents. The MPD reported 1,629 bicycle-involved traffic violations between January and July, up about 40% from the previous year. Of them, 847 - the highest number - involved people running traffic lights.
Many accidents occurred during rush hour, while accidents involving deliveries to residences were frequently reported.
If a car is parked in a bicycle lane, cyclists often ride outside the lane to avoid them, resulting in rear-end collisions with automobiles.
The MPD will crack down on reckless cyclists and also try to rein in parking on streets, such as in bike lanes, that block bikes' passage.
"We will work on road infrastructure for cyclists as well as traffic control in order to create a new living environment 'with corona' where anyone can safely ride a bicycle," a senior MPD official said.
