It might look like a bike lane for ants, but this quirky piece of road design in Sydney apparently serves a clever purpose.
A comically small bike lane spotted in Sydney has sparked discussion on Reddit, but several users have pointed out that the unusual road design feature actually serves an important purpose.
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According to a recent Reddit post, the raised section of bike lane – which appears to measure only three metres long – is located between Fairfowl Street and Pile Street in the Sydney suburb of Dulwich Hill.
A photo of the bike lane was posted to the online forum with the caption, “Sydney’s shortest bike lane?”, eliciting more than 100 comments from people both bemused and intrigued as to its purpose.
“Needs more signs,” one user joked. “How can a team of several people look this over and think ‘yep good idea’,” another added.
However, a handful of Reddit users leapt to the defence of the quirky design feature – describing it as “a really good piece of infrastructure”.
“This is called a ‘modal filter’ and they are a great antidote to rat runs,” one user explained, with another agreeing, “Yup, it’s actually a really good piece of infrastructure”.
What’s a modal filter?
According to the NSW Government, modal filters are essentially “partial street closures”, or “treatments that prevent through movement for vehicles but allow it for pedestrians and cyclists”.
The NSW Government states that model filters are a “cost-effective way to provide bicycle infrastructure on local streets” and can take many forms, including “plantings, boulders or bollards”.
Modal filters like the bike lane pictured above are used all over Australia and globally – particularly in Europe and the United Kingdom – as a way to encourage walking and cycling and reduce noise, pollution and congestion in certain neighbourhoods.
Critics of modal filters say this method of traffic management can create congestion elsewhere as drivers find alternative back routes, or has the potential to delay essential vehicles like emergency services or delivery and logistics workers.
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