Cycling on Spring Garden Highway - Fontabelle to Brighton: make it legal to cycle on the wide and virtually unused sidewalk on this stretch of the highway where cycling is not allowed. At any given time if you can find 5 pedestrian users on either sidewalk, you have seen a lot.

Install a 2.5 ft outer lane marking on the Cummins section of the ABC Highway from the Frank Worrell roundabout to Clermont/Lodge Road turn off. Motorists overtake cyclists using this road, then come to the left, preventing cyclists from continuing to cycle in a hill. Have a public awareness campaign that asks motorists to leave this marked space clear when pedestrians are in sight.

Change the grills with spaces as wide as a bicycle tire, more than one cyclist has smashed their face after their wheel has become caught in these grills, flinging them over the handle bar. Incidentally, the one I know of personally was from England and the grill in question was in the Warrens area. What publicity. Do you want this country to be attractive for everyone? A perfect example of another dangerous grill would be the one at the intersection by the Charles Rowe Bridge service station, immediately in the corner on the left as you come down the hill from the Post Office. Go have a look at it and tell me you can’t see how that would kill an unsuspecting cyclist who already has to tussle with uncouth, uncaring or perhaps spiteful motorists.

Use proper paint for road markings that does not slide both pedestrians and cyclists when the rain falls.

Host/invite the Barbados Cycling Union and other interested parties to have a road safety campaign.

Investigate if close passes can be punishable under the law – why do motorists need to pass within 1 – 2 ft of a cyclist when the road has NO other cars??? That should be criminal.

As the roads become safer for cyclists, perhaps more ppl will be encouraged to cycle and shake off their sedentary lifestyle. The price of gasoline is already an incentive.

by Kerwin Alkins