Last year, 16 cyclists were killed in a car accident in Azerbaijan

The number of people riding bicycles and scooters in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan,  along boulevards and parks is growing. They must use specially designated lanes. But in places where people, children, elderly people, walk densely, complaints about collisions with cyclists and scooters are heard.

Conditions for recreation have been created on the territory of the national Park, both for strolling citizens and for cyclists and scooters: "Appropriate roads have been allocated for scooters and cyclists. Permit signs related to their driving have been installed", the Management of Primorsky Boulevard in Baku  told Turan.

The administration stressed that in places with heavy traffic, people are not allowed to ride scooters and bicycles: "There are forbidding signs for this. They can be seen in the boulevard area. But even in this case, sometimes citizens ride bicycles and scooters in prohibited areas." The administration can only warn violators: "We are not authorized to take other measures."

Primorsky Boulevard has a length of more than 7 kilometers, but the lane allocated for bicycles is only 1.3 kilometers.

According to official data, in 2022, 16 people were killed and 15 injured in 29 road accidents, as a result of which cyclists were injured.

One of the main causes of road accidents involving cyclists is non-compliance with safety rules: "According to the legislation, cyclists must move along special bicycle paths, and in their absence - on the side of the road, the carriageway of the street or roadsides. It must not carry cargo or passengers, which is an obstacle to driving, and the bike must be technically sound and properly equipped," the Main Directorate of the State Traffic Police.

A fine of 40 manats has been imposed on bicycle and scooter drivers for violating the requirements of the law.

Back in 2019, there was an instruction from the president on the construction of bicycle paths (lanes). By the order of Ilham Aliyev in 2019-2023, territories where bicycle paths and parking lots can be created should be identified on highways, the street and road network, and appropriate measures should be taken in this regard.

The Baku Transport Agency (BNA) Turan reported that a conceptual plan "Bicycle transport in Baku" has been developed. It was stressed that the plan is also included in the new Baku City Master Plan: "At the initial stage, it is planned to organize a network of bicycle paths with a total length of 63.5 km in Baku by 2027, and 251.2 km by 2040. Currently, as a pilot project, work is underway to organize a 7.5 km long bicycle path covering the central part of the city. In total, construction works have been completed at a distance of 1,700 meters, and at a distance of 650 meters, the work is in the final stage."

Ilgar Huseynli, an expert on transport issues, says that the activities of the BNA did not justify themselves: "A large amount of money was spent from the budget, but it did not lead to serious results."

According to the expert, the program for the construction of bicycle paths was not completed: "A tender was announced, but how much money was allocated for this tender, what is its volume, to which territory bicycle paths were to be laid at the expense of the allocated funds, the public was not informed about them."

According to Huseynli, the work done has remained unfinished, Baku has been brought to such a state that it is impossible to lay bicycle paths: "The infrastructure does not allow to lay these roads. The existing sidewalks do not meet the standards in width and are very narrow. On the other hand, they have brought shops and newly built buildings so far forward that it is impossible to extend the sidewalks."