Transportation authorities plan to install bike lanes along the roadway that encircles central Moscow, deputy mayor Maxim Liksutov said Monday as the Russian capital looks to use the coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity to drastically reshape its transportation system.
The Mayor’s Office announced plans last month to “help residents form new habits” like walking and cycling to ease crowding on public transport and reduce Moscow’s notorious traffic congestion. The efforts echo pedestrianization efforts seen in major world cities like Paris, Milan, Sydney, Dublin, Athens and more as the coronavirus has emptied streets of traffic and forced social distancing.
“In the future, we plan to place a bike lane along the entire length of the Garden Ring and install bicycle traffic lights there,” Liksutov said in a social media post detailing the placement of new bike lanes across Moscow.
The deputy mayor and transportation chief did not provide a timeframe for the Garden Ring bike lane.
Some of the cyclist-friendly proposals are subject to public discussions and votes, Liksutov said. Others will go into effect as soon as this month and later in 2020.
The Moscow Mayor’s Office said its reconstruction and beautification efforts have doubled pedestrian spaces and led to a tenfold increase in spaces for cyclists since 2015.
Moscow currently boasts 850 kilometers of bike and public transportation lanes, as well as 550 bike rental stations and 2,700 docking spots.