On Saturday morning, I rode my bicycle to Daming Lake Park in Jinan. When I reached Heihuquan North Road, I spotted clear bike lane signs from afar and felt delighted, thinking I could finally enjoy a smooth ride. But as I got closer, I found both sides of the bike lane were packed with cars, and the narrow sidewalk was crowded with pedestrians—there was no room even for bicycles to squeeze through except by pushing them. Seeing electric bikes and bicycles riding in the fast lane, I had no choice but to join them there.
A four-lane road in both directions, I started cautiously riding close to the right side, with cars speeding past me. At the bus stop, buses blocked the road, forcing me to move into the middle lane. The piercing sound of car horns filled my ears, and I kept catching angry or confused glares from drivers. I hurriedly swerved around the buses and squeezed back to the side. Like a thief, I rode nervously all the way to Minghu South Road before finally finding an uninterrupted bike lane not taken over by parked cars.
On the way back at noon, I didn’t dare take the same route, so I chose the quieter Xianxi Lane. To my surprise, this road was just like Heihuquan North Road—the barely wide-enough-for-cars bike lane was also full of parked vehicles. From time to time, I saw people in uniform standing on the fast lane, holding parking tickets and directing cars one by one into marked spots on the bike lane. The sidewalk wasn’t just narrow and crowded—it was also uneven. With no other options, I had to ride in the fast lane alongside stranded electric bikes. This forced motor vehicles and non-motorized traffic together, not only creating chaos but also posing serious safety risks.
Staying in your designated lane is the most basic traffic rule. Whether cycling in the fast lane or on the sidewalk is against the rules—but if you don’t break the rules, you simply have nowhere to ride, because bike lanes have been turned into parking lots for motor vehicles and turned into money-making tools for certain departments.