Berlin cycle lanes installed amid COVID-19 to be dismantled after court's ruling

In the latest blow to the cyclists in Germany, a Berlin court has ordered the ruling coalition of center-left Social Democrats (SPD) to remove the newly-installed cycle lanes in the city. The court slammed the government for using the COVID-19 pandemic to push their traffic agenda and installing cycle lanes across the city. The government had argued that the roads on which the cycle lanes were installed were dangerous to cyclists, however, the court rejected the argument saying that it failed to provide sufficient evidence to back its claim. 

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The court was hearing a petition filed by MPs of Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which accused the left-wing government of pushing its traffic agenda amid the COVID-19 pandemic citing it as an excuse. The AfD said that the cycle lanes violated the country's traffic law caused problems to individual motorists by causing traffic jams. The court has ordered to dismantle eight pop-up cycle paths. 

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The government has said that it will appeal the administrative court's decision in a federal court but it is currently unclear whether the bike lanes will be dismantled or be allowed to remain in place until a ruling by the top court. 

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Meanwhile, cyclists, who had hailed the government for setting-up lanes at an unprecedented speed, will be upset by the latest court order. As per reports, 14 cyclists have died in Berlin in 2020 alone due to dangerous roads. Cyclists in the city had long pushed to increase separate bikes lanes and when dozens were installed recently it had come as a victory for those who now feel dispirited. 

Similar lanes in UK

Similar lanes had popped-up recently in the United Kingdom, where the government was encouraging cycle use by citizens in order to avoid overcrowding in buses and trains. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan had said that the bike lanes in the city have been installed to give residents a safer alternative to cars, especially at a time when public transport is under strain. The move was also meant with protests by both motorists and politicians, who said it was absurd to suggest millions of journeys by trains and buses could be replaced by cycles. 

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