Bike Lanes, Sidewalks, and Conflicts: How Bishkek is Searching for Its Path to Becoming a Bicycle-Friendly City.

We studied how many cyclists and scooter riders currently use sidewalks with bike markings. According to our measurements, on a weekday evening, two-wheeled transport can account for almost a third of the total flow of people on average.

At the same time, even on regular sidewalks, the share of cyclists and personal mobility device (PMD) users during the evening rush hour is significant — on average around 14%.

International experience shows that placing cyclists and pedestrians in the same space leads to increased tension, higher risks of injury, and deprives city residents of a sense of safety.

A Route to the Emergency Room?

At the intersection of Abdrakhmanov and Moskovskaya streets, a cyclist hit a woman — she lost consciousness and suffered a fracture. On Tokombaev Street, a scooter rider crashed into a woman — fractured collarbone, concussion, surgery ahead. A car struck a teenager on a scooter, who was rushed to the hospital.

Such accidents mirror the current state of cycling infrastructure and the growing number of cyclists and scooter users. Although no regular count is kept, according to members of the Jogorku Kenesh, by 2024 Bishkek already had up to 30,000 personal mobility devices.

Official data from the Patrol Police Service shows that between January 2023 and June 2025, 519 traffic accidents involving cyclists and scooter riders occurred in Bishkek — including collisions with cars as well as incidents where pedestrians were hit. Before 2023, accidents involving scooters were not tracked as a separate category.

In total, 539 people were injured in these crashes, and 6 lost their lives. The statistics do not specify whether the victims were PMD users, pedestrians, or car drivers.

To study the issue in more detail, we mapped traffic accidents involving cyclists and scooter riders over this two-and-a-half-year period.

We found that accidents occur throughout the city — both in central Bishkek and in its outlying districts and residential areas. At the same time, there are several zones with the highest concentration of crashes. Among them: the areas around Ala-Too Square and Bishkek State University, as well as the stretch of Baytik Baatyr Street between Kulatov and Gorky.

Moreover, our calculations show that the risk of an accident* path is eight times higher near a bike-and-pedestrian than near a dedicated bike lane.

* Calculated per 1 km of cycling infrastructure.

It is important to note, however, that bike-and-pedestrian paths are mostly located on central streets with heavy car and pedestrian traffic, while dedicated bike lanes are found in more remote areas. This suggests that the number of accidents may be influenced not only by the type of infrastructure but also by its location.

How to Improve the Situation?

Both local and international experts unanimously recommend developing modern and sustainable cycling infrastructure — including by reducing the number of car lanes and converting that space into bike lanes. This would make trips safer and more convenient for cyclists and scooter users, while pedestrians would no longer have to defend their right to the sidewalks.

Specialists from the World Health Organization explain that developing a cycling network has a positive impact on public well-being. It helps improve air quality and reduce injuries, while also addressing traffic congestion and climate change.

Consultants from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, who prepared Bishkek’s "Green City" Action Plan, also emphasize the importance of long-term investment in the capital’s cycling infrastructure. The document highlights the need to update construction standards, create a well-designed network of bike lanes separated from sidewalks, and increase the number of bike parking facilities.

Meanwhile, the urban initiative Peshcom is proposing that city authorities modernize and improve the existing cycling infrastructure.

"We suggest that the city administration start by collaborating on the bike lane along Toktogul Street — installing delineators, those protective posts that will keep cars from entering or parking on the lane. […] We are ready to fund and purchase the delineators ourselves," the initiative stated in July 2025. Negotiations with the city administration on this matter are ongoing.

Together with cycling activists, Peshcom is also calling for updated markings at intersections where bike routes cross. Currently, when crossing the road at a crosswalk, cyclists and scooter riders are required to dismount. Violating this rule carries a fine of 1,000 soms.

"This regulation creates a barrier to using bicycles and personal mobility devices as transportation," the initiative argues, calling for the construction of dedicated bike crossings — examples of which already exist in some parts of the city.

Another proposal from activists is to improve the existing cycling infrastructure by giving bike routes on sidewalks a clear direction of travel.

For example, on Manas Avenue, if the bike infrastructure is currently located on the eastern sidewalk, allow travel only northbound (in the same direction as car traffic). Meanwhile, the western sidewalk could accommodate a southbound bike route. This would make the movement of cyclists and scooter users more predictable for pedestrians.

Urbanist and co-founder of the German association Changing Cities, Michael Schulte, supports separating the Toktogul Street bike lane with posts and emphasizes the importance of creating a bike lane along Ala-Too Square.

"On Chui Avenue, there is a high-risk area because the square is enormous and there are no restrictions. Cars, cyclists, and many pedestrians — all mixed together. It would be very easy to mark a separated bike lane on the roadway with posts in each direction. This would make the street much safer," explains Schulte.

In addition, Schulte suggests allowing cyclists and scooter users to use bus lanes.

"In the city center, the big challenge for cyclists is east-west movement. I think it’s important to allow cyclists to use the bus lane on Moskovskaya Street. There aren’t many buses there, traffic is more organized than on Kievskaya, fewer parked cars, and there is a sense of safety," the urbanist comments.

Michael Schulte also recommends developing cycling infrastructure on less busy streets in the city center. For instance, Razzakova Street, Orozbekova Street, or along Erkindik Boulevard, where parking is already partially prohibited and there is space for bike routes.

The city administration has not abandoned the idea of developing cycling infrastructure, although it does not consider it a top priority. According to the information provided to us, by the end of 2025 new bike routes may appear on Akhunbaev Street and Sukhe Bator Street toward Auezov Street, as well as along the road being renovated to the HPP-5 reservoir.

Overall, the municipality plans to create at least 200 kilometers of new bike routes by 2030, which the city promises will be built as physically separated lanes.

Authors:
Alexey Zhuravlev, data journalist, urban researcher
Altynai Nogoybaeva, urban researcher, Master’s in Urbanism
Data editor: Saviya Khasanova, researcher, mentor

How We Collected and Analyzed Data

To gather information about the existing cycling network, we sent requests to the municipality and studied open sources. After compiling a list of bike routes, we visited each location to verify the infrastructure and collect descriptive data on the type of construction, presence of markings or signs, width, and other characteristics.

Bicycle and pedestrian traffic measurements were conducted on two central streets with cycling infrastructure — Manas Avenue (Chyngyz Aitmatov) and Abdrakhmanov Street (Baytik Baatyr) — during the evening rush hour (18:00–19:00). This is when the workday ends and residents commute from the business center to residential neighborhoods. Specific measurement points were chosen based on comparable factors such as nearby points of attraction, including shopping centers, restaurants, and public transport stops.

Hotspot Map of Accidents

For analysis and visualization of traffic accidents, we requested statistics on crashes involving cyclists and scooter riders from the Main Directorate for Road Traffic Safety and the Patrol Police Department.

In the data received, we manually determined the coordinates for 499 out of 519 accidents (~96%). Using these points, we created a 500×500 meter grid. We then counted how many accidents occurred in each cell and color-coded them by density to visually highlight areas with the highest number of crashes.

We express our gratitude to the inspectors of the Organizational and Inspector Department of the Bishkek Patrol Police — Police Captain Kayratbek Satynbaev and Police Sergeant Bakyt Ishenbekov — for compiling the accident table.

To compare accident data with the existing bike routes, we conducted a spatial analysis. A 30-meter buffer zone was created around all existing bike routes, with each buffer categorized by type of cycling infrastructure. Each accident point was then linked to the corresponding buffer by location to determine which category of infrastructure it fell into.