'Cycle lanes that don’t join up just make everyone look a bit stupid': Why do so many bike lanes just end?

Have you ever been happily following a bike lane and it suddenly just ends for no obvious reason? Frustrating isn’t it! Why does this happen and what, if anything, can we do about it?

To answer the question, we’ve looked at concerns in the UK and the US, to take into account the differences in planning and local government structure.

Why do UK bike lanes just end?

Adam Tranter, the former West Midlands Cycling and Walking Commissioner, says the reason that bike lanes just end is multi-faceted: “There are many reasons, a lack of long-term funding and a lack of long-term planning. Most funding to councils is given annually and at the last minute, so this means few of them are able to plan and resource for the long term,” is the first part of the explanation.

“Older cycle lanes were not built to the same standards we expect today; councils painted white lines and when things got hard, many just gave up. And another reason is a lack of political will.” He offers an example of a cycle lane he worked on in Coventry [Midlands, UK] with a gap in the middle because residents didn’t want a cycle lane on their road and complained vociferously about it; it takes a very determined and bold Councillor to carry on against noisy opposition. “Fortunately, we had that in Coventry and it will be completed soon, providing a critical link to the local hospital, the major trip attractor for that area,” Tranter says.

Phil Jones is a chartered engineer with over 40 years’ experience. His experience includes preparing transport strategies for major developments and leading street improvement in villages, towns and cities, “Another reason why cycle paths might abruptly end is related to land ownership and legal constraints. In some cases, bike lane planning faces challenges due to complications in acquiring land or negotiating with private landowners, especially on off-road routes. Legal disputes over land use or right-of-way issues can cause delays or terminations of proposed cycle paths. Additionally, historical preservation rules might restrict construction in certain areas, leading to discontinuities in the cycling network. Addressing these legal and ownership issues can be complex and time-consuming, often requiring negotiations that don't always result in a completed path,” says Jones.

“Of course, for road building, the use of Compulsory Purchase Orders is often used by councils and National Highways to solve the problem, but we don’t seem to prioritise cycle paths in the same way,” adds Tranter.

Another reason cycle lanes might run out is the terrain. Certain geographical features, like steep inclines, rivers, or urban infrastructure, can make it challenging to maintain a continuous path. In these cases, planners might opt to end a cycle path rather than construct costly bridges, tunnels, or extensive rerouting. Planning logistics can play a significant role. The complexities of urban planning mean integrating cycle lanes amid bustling streets, public transport systems, and existing infrastructure, which isn’t always feasible. Such logistical hurdles can interrupt otherwise continuous paths.

Funding is clearly a significant part of the problem, and when money runs out, cycle lanes are stopped in their tracks. Regions might have different amounts of money to spend, so cycling can look very different from one area to another. “A good cycle scheme should form part of the network; we always try and connect new cycle paths into a wider system. A local government might have several different pots of funding to make small sections of cycle path, these might look like they are isolated but over time you hope the funding appears to join them up,” says Tranter.

Not all cycle lanes stop for negative reasons, “A final reason is there might not need to be one,” says Tranter. “The cycle path turns off into a side road or lesser road that might not warrant one. Low traffic neighbourhoods can become part of the cycle network, without having a dedicated cycle path because the interaction with cars is minimal.”

If you have ridden a section of cycle lane that seemingly just ends, then Tranter has some advice, “the best you can do in that situation is lobby your local councillor or MP and be heard. No one ever writes in support of something, we only hear from those who don’t want something, this creates an echo chamber where those making decisions think no one wants cycling. Representative opinion polls suggests this isn’t the case.”

Finally, if there is a genuine maintenance issue, not a design issue, say the paint has faded go to your local council website or fixmystreet to report the issue. “It won’t turn a bad cycle lane into a good one but can help improve what is already there” says Tranter.

Why do US bike lanes just end?

According to the Benchmarking Bike Networks report, carried out by The League of American Bicyclists, there are three main methods of turning a bicycle network plan into a reality: capital projects, repaving and site development improvements. The method in question can determine the reason for the sudden stoppage.

Capital projects may involve a major construction, such as a new bridge or road. As Ken McLeod, Policy Director at The League of American Bicyclists, explains, sometimes these projects include bike lanes, “but the roads that lead to and from do not.”

“Capital projects often involve federal funding and that means that the funding is tied to the extent of that project. While a local community could allocate capital to ensure that the bike lanes created by a capital project connect to other facilities, it is not uncommon for that connection to be a longer-term goal over time rather than pursued in parallel with a capital project,” he says, using the example of the $14 million Franklin Road bridge project [in Roanoke, Virginia], where there are bike lanes on the bridge but not leading up to or after it.

Repaving projects are another common reason why bike lanes may get interrupted.

"Repaving is often based on pavement quality and is often done in 5, 10, or 20-year cycles. If a road was repaved before a bike plan was adopted and a later plan calls for a bike lane, then a connecting section may be implemented during repaving, but the road that still meets pavement quality standards won't be touched until its quality degrades," McLeod explains.

"For cyclists, this means a nice, new, and smooth bike lane may disappear into an older, more rough road without any bike lane, and that condition will persist until the older road is repaved.”

New site development projects may require property developers to include pedestrian or bicycle infrastructure, yet "private developments do not extend beyond the site developed and so can easily create a stranded facility," McLeod explains.

While some companies may choose to improve bike facilities on or adjacent to their property voluntarily, they're not required to.

In terms of addressing the issues across all three methods, McLeod says: “Long-term funding and political will may help communities close gaps as bike facilities are implemented through any of the three methods above, but it also requires coordination between projects and processes so that gaps are proactively identified and prioritised for connections.”

Coordination is also key when it comes to working across the various city, county and state jurisdictions.

“One community may have different bike lane standards or plans than an adjacent community and not coordinate making bike lanes continuous between the two communities," McLoead points out. "While regional planning agencies often exist, they also often have little authority to enforce continuity of bicycle facilities and must rely on persuasion to facilitate coordination of continuous facilities.”

Why does it matter if bike lanes suddenly stop?

Firstly, people need to have confidence that they can safely complete their route by bike. “Some people won’t even do the first bit of a route if they can’t do the last bit,” explains Tranter. But cycle lanes that just end don’t help the cause of active travel. “Cycle lanes that don’t join up just make everyone look a bit stupid! When we build cycle lanes, we have to overcome a general ambivalence in society. When you want to build a really good cycle lane, it often requires reallocating some of the road space; you tend to move people from ambivalence to some sort of feeling, positive or negative. For example, if car parking spaces are lost to fit in a cycle path, then that can get attention.”

A poor cycle path helps no one, neither users nor detractors. “It's normally the quality and directness of the route that suffers when cycle paths don’t join up or are high quality. You end up with something that doesn’t get as much usage because it’s not high-quality and the detractors then say they were right all along that it wouldn’t be used.”