Cycle lanes provided by local authorities around the country are more dangerous than busy roads and streets, experts have warned.

Among the hazardous conditions cyclists face are lanes that stop almost as soon as they begin, dangerous left turns, and ill-thought-out designs that mean users have to do daily battle with trucks and cars for space on the roads.

A series of photographs of problem cycle lanes, which were posted online by cycling enthusiasts around the country, reveal the extent of the challenges cyclists can face.

In one instance, a cycle lane on the Doughiska road in Galway has a series of breaks for cars emerging out of nearby areas. Bizarrely, cyclists are expected to stop every few seconds to let cars out, or face being knocked off their bikes and possibly being seriously injured.

Elsewhere, contributors to the cycling website, Dublincycling.ie, labelled a section of cycle track at Aungier street in the capital as the city's "shortest cycle lane", after part of the lane was covered over by tarmacadam without its cycle lane markings being replaced.

James Leahy of the lobby group the Dublin Cycling Campaign warned that many of the lanes provided by local authorities will have to be fixed just to make them safe for cyclists.

Among the most serious problems is the fact that some lanes take cyclists off the road onto designated cycle lanes on pathways, before suddenly "dumping" them down onto roads near dangerous traffic junctions, Leahy said.

Similarly, some cycle lanes require users to share space with buses and taxis on lanes that are simply too narrow to accommodate both safely.

"There is an element of 'greenwashing' about the current provision of cycle lanes," Leahy told the Sunday Tribune. "They are put in by local councils to be seen to be doing something to promote cycling. But in many cases, they actually make it more dangerous to be there than if they were just using the regular road.

"Basically most of the cycle lanes across the entire city will need remedial work as they weren't designed properly in the first place. It is a similar situation elsewhere."

A recent 10-year national cycle policy framework, developed by the government, is seen as a major step forward in encouraging the provision of safe facilities for cyclists.

However, Leahy said urban designers are forced to rely on hopelessly out-of-date guidelines which date back to 1997 when planning the introduction of new cycling lanes.

After eight years of work, a draft new cycle manual was published for public consultation last week.

"Until the cycle manual is finalised then there will continue to be confusion about what is and what is not a good detail," Leahy said. "Street design is complex. However, what is not acceptable is to keep spending millions building new, substandard facilities."