On Tuesday, a metal fence fell on a cyclist near the construction site on the site of the old flea market in Belgrade. There is no marked track, so the cyclist managed as best he could. Since 2021, more than 4,000 cyclists have been injured, and 131 have died.
Nebojša Stojković, just one of the fellow citizens who has replaced the car and public transport with a bicycle, is also managing. Through Ulica kralja Milana to Terazi, take the carriageway.
Although it takes about twenty minutes to get to work in the city center from the left bank of the Danube, even during rush hour, cycling does not seem safe. There are no bicycle paths in most of the city.
“There are no trails here in the center, except maybe a 200-meter section in Takovska and Rooseveltova, Mija Kovačević, although it is difficult to see in Rooseveltova. On the Zemun side – Zemun, New Belgrade, we have on the other side under Kalemegdan, but that is a trail more of a recreational type, however, it can benefit those who, for example, go to work from Dorćol to Čukarica”, says Nebojša Stojković from the Citizens’ Association “Ulice za bicycliste”.
There are 121 kilometers of bicycle paths in Belgrade
Where the boulevards are wide enough and there is space, there are bike lanes. In some parts of the city, a special lane for them is marked on the road. This is the case, for example, in the Boulevard of Liberation or in Vasina Street.
There are 121 kilometers of bicycle paths in Belgrade. New kilometers have been talked about for years, and planning documents exist. However, the picture is different on the ground.
By 2030, 500 kilometers of bicycle paths should be built. The national strategy and plans have been written, however, their implementation is awaited.
“They are currently in the process of amending the Law on Traffic Safety, where a set of measures, positions and articles have been prepared that should be adapted to European legislation, in order to regulate this. The City of Belgrade has a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan, but the problem is that it is not a binding legal document “, points out Igor Velić from the Institute for Urban Mobility.
Nine percent of those killed in traffic are cyclists
The first trail was built in 1979 from Hotel “Yugoslavia” to Ušće, and in 1997 a seven-kilometer long trail from the promenade on the Danube Quay to Ada Ciganlija.
Where there are none, both cyclists and motorists need to be more careful of each other. As many as nine percent of all traffic fatalities are cyclists.
“We recommend that they wear lighter clothing so that they are more visible to drivers. As for the helmet, it is not mandatory by law – our research shows that only 15 percent of cyclists who participate in public transport use a helmet,” says the director of the Agency for Traffic Safety Branko Stamatović.
In Serbia, there is no single document that covers bicycle traffic, so it is not easy to influence the development, goals and financing of this type of traffic. For this to happen, many existing laws must be harmonized.
And the number of cyclists on the streets, according to data from the Agency for Traffic Safety, is growing year after year.
