COUNTERS RECORD OVER 150,000 BIKE RIDES ON BANJA LUKA'S STREETS

The trend of using bicycles as a means of transportation in the largest city of the Republic of Srpska is constantly increasing, as confirmed by the numbers recorded daily by bike counters installed at several city locations.

PHOTO: Grad Banjaluka

Since the beginning of 2024, 150,000 bike rides have been recorded on counters installed at three locations in Banja Luka.

Milada Šukalo, the mayor's advisor, emphasized that the city administration, led by Mayor Stanivuković, is committed to urban mobility, and significant strides have been made in improving cycling infrastructure.

"We have built several kilometers of new bike lanes and renovated existing ones at multiple locations. New traffic lights and bike parking spots have been installed throughout the city. In addition, electric scooters and bikes are available to citizens. The increase in the number of cyclists on Banja Luka's streets is the best confirmation that we have done a good thing. The counters show a rising trend in bicycle usage across all parameters, and since the city continuously works on improving cycling infrastructure, we believe that the number of citizens using sustainable modes of transport will keep growing," said Šukalo.

The data collected by the bike counters provide a solid foundation for planning and developing cycling traffic. Moreover, these counters play an affirmative role in promoting the use of bicycles as a mode of transportation by increasing the visibility of cyclists in traffic and society, thereby contributing to a higher percentage of cyclists participating in traffic.

Thanks to these counters, located in the Borik neighborhood and on Stevana Bulajića and Majke Jugovića streets, we have data on the daily and weekly usage of bikes and scooters, including weekends.

In December 2022, Banja Luka received bike counters as part of the “Impaq” project, including one display counter and two underground counters.