Cycling paths coming to Tbilisi streets in Govt project

Georgia's capital is being adapted to suit the growing needs of bicycle users.

Soon Tbilisi will soon boast cycling paths and infrastructure where riders can safely navigate through the city in areas that have been specifically modified.

New cycling paths are planned for the Vere River area, which was damaged in last year's flash flood but has since been restored by volunteers and state agencies.

In the river valley, cycling paths will be introduced in and around Mziuri Park - a popular recreational space of Tbilisi residents currently being revitalised within the New Mziuri project.

Central Tbilisi's Mziuri Park will be one of the areas to boast new cycling paths. Photo from wikimapia.org.

Additional cycling areas will also be created in other cycling-friendly areas of the capital city. 

These plans were revealed by Tbilisi Mayor David Narmania in an interview with reporters in late April.

Narmania said developing cycling infrastructure in the city was incorporated in the General Plan of Tbilisi Development, a Governmental project for the city's urban design.

A cycling path in Germany's capital Berlin. Photo from European Cyclists' Federation/Flickr.

[Creating cycling paths] is important for promoting healthy lifestyles as well as developing transport movement," Narmania told reporters.

Recently citizen groups and non-governmental organisations in Georgia have actively been calling for improvements to transform Tbilisi into a cycling-friendly city.

The Tbilisi Bicycle Group, a community of cycling enthusiasts, has staged a local version of the global Critical Mass bicycle ride through the city to raise awareness on bike owners rights.

The Group met city planners at a number of recent meetings to discuss the possibility of developing cycling infrastructure in the capital.

Topics reviewed at the meetings included creating bicycle parking areas and modifying buses that serve popular destinations - including Kojori Park located 20km outside Tbilisi - to carry bicycles.