Opinions and Responses

I would like the sidewalks on Shiroyama Street to be improved and separate lanes created for bicycles and pedestrians.

We would like the sidewalk on the slope of Shiroyama Street (from the Shin-Omaru intersection to in front of Tokinoirodori Onsen & Central Library to the Sanwa area) to be improved and lanes for bicycles and pedestrians to be created.

On Shiroyama Street, you can faintly see lines marking a bicycle lane at the edge of the roadway, but in reality, almost all bicycles ride on the sidewalk.
Especially during the morning commute and school hours, many bicycles come down the sidewalk at quite a high speed heading from the Koyodai area (Sanwa side) towards Minami-Tama Station.
Many bicycles come and go on the sidewalks during the day. Electric bicycles carrying children are also frequently seen.

The bicycle lanes on the roadway are not practical to use because there is heavy traffic of large vehicles such as buses and trucks, making it dangerous; there are many queues of cars waiting to enter Inagi Natural Hot Spring Tokinoirodori and Inagi Central Library, preventing bicycles from passing; and there are two bus stops where bicycles cannot pass while buses are stopped. Therefore, I believe everyone rides on the sidewalks.

The sidewalks on Shiroyama Street are relatively wide, and since the planting areas are also broad, removing or reducing the planting areas could secure even more width.
And like Kawasaki Kaido, I want lanes that separate bicycles and pedestrians.

From April 2026, the Road Traffic Act will be amended, and riding a bicycle on the sidewalk will result in a fine.
Inagi City is promoting itself as a bicycle-friendly city, so we hope that facilities will be developed to ensure that both bicycles and pedestrians can travel safely.

Response

The city is promoting the development of bicycle traffic spaces based on the Inagi City Bicycle Network Plan. Regarding Shiroyama Street, where requests have been made, there are sections where the sidewalk width is narrowed due to bus stops, making it difficult to secure enough width to separate pedestrian and bicycle traffic areas. For such routes where securing width is difficult, we have installed navigation marks on the roadway sections where bicycles should travel to ensure bicycle traffic space.
Bicycles are generally required to ride on the roadway; however, riding on sidewalks where bicycle traffic is permitted by signage is allowed as an exception. Regarding Shiroyama Street, bicycle traffic permitted signs are installed, making it a sidewalk where riding is possible. Therefore, the city has implemented measures to control bicycle speed, such as installing caution signs and traffic cones on the sidewalk, as well as applying colored pavement. Additionally, in cooperation with the Tama Central Police Station and the Tama Inagi Traffic Safety Association, the city conducts street activities and uses city public relations materials to raise awareness about bicycle rules and manners. The city also requests the Tama Central Police Station to crack down on dangerous bicycle riding to ensure pedestrian safety and encourage bicycle users to follow traffic rules.

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