In response to a marked increase in the number of road casualties among cyclists in Slovakia this year, the police are launching special road checks across the entire country, the Pravda daily reported on Tuesday. Seven cyclists died on the roads from January to September last year, however this year the figure is at 18 fatalities.
Police Corps Presidium spokesperson Denisa Baloghová specified that most fatalities were caused by errors made both on the side of cyclists and car drivers. Michal Malý of the Bratislava-based NGO Cyklokoalicia observed that the issue is not higher numbers of cyclists on the roads, but dangerous cycle paths and the lack of intersections with special lanes for bikes. The daily Pravda noted that even though several towns have kicked off the setting up of pathways for cyclists, many of them choose easier and less expensive options, such as painting lines on existing roads rather than building separate cycle paths. “A safe cycle path should be duly separated from the ordinary road. The problem can't be solved by spraying a few marks on the road and pretending that we've set up a proper cycle path. Many drivers drive according to a certain routine and they don't even notice a newly set up lane”, explained traffic consultant Marian Palesch.
