Dubai: Motorists are urged to respect the rights and safety of other road users, especially cyclists and runners, and give them at least 1.5 metres of safe distance in case they are on the road. The call was made on Saturday by advocates of safe cycling.
The call came following the death of former Arab triathlon champion Roy Nasr, 49, early Friday morning when a drunk driver hit him and a fellow rider from behind near Safa Park.
Dubai Police said the driver swerved past the cyclists’ escort vehicle as they rode towards Meydan.
“What happened to Roy is an absolute tragedy,” Stewart Howison, founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and Nasr’s friend, told Gulf News. Howison said the accident should serve as a momentum to push for an increase in awareness on cycling safety, especially among motorists who don’t willingly share the road with other users.
Dubai Police in an earlier report cautioned cyclists to stay off most roads with a speed limit of 60 km/h for safety reasons. Cyclists are prohibited from riding on main roads. A section of UAE’s Federal Law No 21 of 1995 states that riders should use cycle tracks, if available, or otherwise ride on the right side of the road but not on the pavements.
But there are times when cycling groups ride on a small section of some roads as part of their route. In this case, advocates said a safe distance between vehicles and cyclists should be maintained.
“Personally, I don’t see the necessity to ride on the main roads of Dubai.” Howison said. But should there be cyclists on the road, he urged motorists to “give at least 1.5 metres of allowance per cyclist from behind, front, and the sides. This is to give them space in case there is something on the road and the cyclists need to swerve.”
Since cycling is a relatively new sport in the emirate, most motorists are not aware of the presence of cyclists. And Howison said his group is already contemplating launching an awareness campaign in the emirate called “Share the Road,” a cycling safety campaign Howison said was successfully implemented in South Africa.
Donal Kilalea, of the Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge, said more can be done to make the public aware about being responsible on the road. “There’s a general lack of awareness by motor vehicle drivers regarding cyclists and that’s due to the fact that cycling has just recently gained popularity in the country. Awareness needs to be increased and cyclists must be treated with respect.”
Although cyclists use protective gear, they are not completely protected from impact in a vehicular crash and are therefore very vulnerable, Kilalea added.
“We are already very lucky to have over 88km of dedicated cycling paths in Dubai which we may not find in other countries. So we should take advantage of that,” Kilalea said.
