What a great response from Irish Cycling Campaign members countrywide in Ensuring Ireland’s Bike Riders are Lit Up This Winter!
Over the past winter months Irish Cycling campaign members from Malin to Mizen worked hard to distribute NTA supplied Bike Lights, and ensure that your bike, and other cyclists are lit up and legally compliant these winter nights. It’s been a great chance to meet fellow Campaign members and encourage voters before the upcoming election. And also an opportunity to encourage people to support and join the Irish Cycling Campaign.
The Bike Lights were distributed in Sligo, Cork, Limerick, Drogheda, Navan and in Dublin Local Authorities. Overall we distributed nearly 3000 sets of bike lights, ensuring many cyclists were legally compliant in being lit up this Winter.
Check out some of the images below from our bike lights handouts, and maybe next year you will join us in ensuring more cyclists are Lit Up? Its a great way to meet fellow campaigners/activists, have a bit of craic, and also to ensure that more cyclists are legally compliant on these winter nights.
A BIG thanks for the bike lights’ supply from the NTA and the RSA, and for the support of Cyclone Couriers in distributing the lights countrywide!
ICC Submissions Coordinator Colm gives us the low-down.
Above: Lifford/ Strabane planning image
You might not be aware that we in the Irish Cycling Campaign keep an eagle eye on public consultations exhibited on Active Travel issues, particularly from Local Authorities/Councils. This past year 2024 we have made over 100 submissions across the country in all 4 provinces on schemes ranging from major Pathfinder projects, to smaller active travel improvements, to school streets, greenways, and also Speed Limit proposals. We have also submitted on different policy matters to the Department of Transport, Department of Education and the NTA and TII! Our local groups around the country have also made their own submissions on a variety of schemes. You can check out all our nationally listed proposed schemes and our submissions to them on this LINK.
So, which counties appear to be active and which are not? It’s certainly easier to name those 8 counties which did not appear to have any active travel consultations that we were made aware of! These were counties, Waterford, Clare, Offaly, Laois, Wicklow, Leitrim, Monaghan & Cavan! This is not to say that no works were carried out in these counties to advance active travel in 2024, but on the surface it does appear that they were relatively inactive, despite being funded substantially through the NTA, as can be seen in this LINK. The level of funding granted from the NTA to these 8 counties in 2024 varied from a whopping €25 million for Waterford, down to the lowest €1.9 million for Leitrim! Though, it is also necessary to state that many projects can be advancing behind the scenes in terms of design development, and others are actually at construction stage. The NTA project development process is a rigorous and often elongated process – see image below.
Above: NTA Project Development Process
How did Your County do? It is worth checking out this LINK to see what your county was allocated? Did they do what they said they would do? How would you rate your county’s performance?
Range and Quality of Schemes The range of schemes going out through public consultation has varied, ranging from multi million Euro Pathfinder schemes, to minor school and village improvements. The quality of the proposed designs can also vary widely, and in some cases we in ICC were very critical of proposed designs, even going as far as to propose that some schemes be revisited entirely! Thankfully these poorly designed schemes were in the minority, and the vast majority of proposed schemes have improved in terms of design quality, which is mainly down to the development of the 2023 Cycle Design Manual, and the subsequent widespread training, and trips abroad to view quality designs, provided to local authority personnel.
Above: Cycle Design Manual Cover Image
I would encourage any reader interested in the subject, to dip into our 2024 list of consultation projects, and get a feel for the variety, quality, and size of projects and ICC’s responses to them. Overall we have tried to commend what we consider as good design, and be succinct in any criticisms, in line with the recommendations of the Cycle Design Manual.
Why Not Help Us Out? We are always looking for members who would like to help out in this area of tracking and reviewing public consultations on Active Travel. If you are interested to help out, even from time to time, or in a particular area, why not email us at [email protected]. We would be more than happy to hear from you!
2024 was another non-stop year for the Irish Cycling Campaign (ICC). Throughout the year we worked on behalf of our members, those currently cycling and those who would love to cycle if traffic conditions were more inviting.
Early in 2025, we’ll do a more formal reflection on our advocacy experiences of 2024, but at this point we want to say a sincere thanks to everyone in ICC who contributed to our work. Not a day passed without our volunteers engaging in a myriad of ways so as to advance our cause. Much of this happened ‘behind the scenes’ with volunteers examining public consultations documents and drafting considered responses, preparing for and attending meetings, looking after our various membership and communications systems, and nurturing relationships with many other organisations at home and internationally; and with further work happening in the public domain and within the traditional and social media spheres.
Following our recent AGM, we are delighted to have a refreshed Executive Committee in place, with three new members on board – Caoimhe Clarke, Anne Nospickel and Síle Ginnane – and our previous Chair Colm Ryder returning to the EC. We also thanked Dave Anderson for his enormous contributions after he stepped down following 3-4 years on the EC.
2025 will be another crucial year for cycling advocacy, as a new Programme for Government is negotiated and published, and a new cabinet appointed. We look forward to seeing a new Minister for Transport further developing the momentum behind the design and construction of high quality cycling networks in each of the 31 Local Authorities countrywide. ICC is also endorsing the calls of An Taisce for the new government parties to comply with the Irish Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act that was passed in 2021 – they need to commit to fixing the Sectoral Emissions Ceilings so they align with the carbon budgets within the first 100 days of taking office. The rationale for this important ask is laid out in this excellent An Taisce and DCU explainer.
To close, we’d like to plant the idea in our members’ minds to consider getting more involved in 2025 – that can happen through ICC’s Local Groups (organised at a County or sometimes a town level), our Action Groups or our Thematically organised groups. Or, it might simply mean turning up for an ICC organised event with a friend. Whatever way you become involved, we will look to ensure that it’s a sociable and satisfying experience, and all the more so as we see new high quality cycling schemes opening up in 2025.
We wish you all a restful festive break.
Neasa Bheilbigh Chair of Irish Cycling Campaign’s Executive Committee Wednesday 18 December 2024
Irish Cycling Campaign unveils the Strong, Mediocre and Weak Parties in Active Travel as per the Manifestos for General Election 2024
PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – MON 25 NOV 2024
In the lead up to Friday’s election, Irish Cycling Campaign has evaluated the manifestos of the main political parties against their priorities for cycling. The Campaign is calling for increased investment in cycling, walking and public transport to accelerate the shift to sustainable transport and to help fulfill our climate responsibilities.
As shown in our analysis below, parties can be divided into three groups:
Those receiving good grades – Green Party, Labour, Social Democrats – were clear in their prioritisation of active & sustainable transport and had detailed targets for funding and resources to support this.
In the middle were Sinn Féin and PBP who had many positive policies but lacked policy specifics.
Those with a weaker commitment – Fianna Fáil & Fine Gael – showed a poorer commitment to prioritise active and sustainable transport and had few specific targets.
The Campaign notes that there has been significant progress over the last five years, but the main political parties are now showing a worrying lack of commitment to continued investment. The Campaign says that much more remains to be done to connect the completed individual projects so as to create connected and safer networks countrywide.
Examples of new cycle routes in Dublin include Sandycove to Booterstown, North Strand to Clontarf, Royal Canal greenway and Dodder Greenway. Transformative projects in other regional cities, such as Waterford’s new pedestrian and cycle bridge and Limerick’s East-West links via Childers Road, show how arterial routes are delivering modal shift and transport decarbonisation.
The Campaign notes that many more people want to make the switch to active travel modes, but are dissuaded by the lack of safe, segregated cycle routes. For example, the Dublin Metropolitan Region Walking and Cycling Index [1] shows that up to 50% of adults want to switch to cycling, if the cycling network was made safer, while currently only 11% of adults cycle daily. For school kids, between 1991 and 2016 walking and cycling to school in Dublin fell from 64% to 46%, while the percentage being driven to school more than doubled, increasing from 17% to 41%. The #1 reason for not cycling is fear of mixing with general traffic, hence the need for high quality segregated routes.
Irish Cycling Campaign is calling on the next government to:
Increase Investment in Sustainable / Public Transport to the tune of – 20% of transport capital budget allocated for walking+cycling – 5:1 ratio of spend of new public transport to new roads
Rapidly deliver High Quality Cycling Infrastructure
Prioritise Safe Routes to School
Enhance Cyclists Safety
Broaden access to bikes
Expand Bike Parking and bike sharing schemes
Legislate to enable best practice cycle infrastructure designs
Address motor vehicle overuse and oversize.
Results, Analysis and Commentary The results are presented here in tabular and graphic forms.
Neasa Bheilbigh, Chairperson of Irish Cycling Campaign, said “While cycling advocacy in Ireland is 40 years old, it is in the past few years where we have made real progress in re-building a cycling culture in Ireland. The government funding over the past 4.5 years has been instrumental to that progress. That funding needs to continue and grow, to develop segregated cycle ways, greenways and safe routes to school to allow this generation and the next to feel safe enough to choose to use the bike for their daily activities. We need to adapt our private car use to achieve the critical goals of an improved and safer public realm, lower emissions and more efficient movement of people around our towns, cities and rural areas“.
Research from the National Transport Authority shows that 11% of adults cycle daily in Dublin but 46% would like to cycle or cycle more if they felt safer [2]. Irish Cycling Campaign’s Damien Ó Tuama says that we know from research and from the cycle traffic on the Grand Canal, Dun Laoghaire & Seapoint and the newly opened North Strand cycle tracks that segregated routes increases the number of cyclists and enables people of all ages and abilities to cycle.”
Only 1 in 4 adults and 1 in 10 teenagers who cycle in Dublin are female. Mairead Forsythe from the Campaign says that “the figures show a major gender gap in cycling and while the barriers to more women and girls cycling are varied, the #1 barrier is fear of mixing with motor traffic, hence the need for investment in segregated routes and traffic calming.”
From a healthcare perspective, a transport system that builds in exercise, whether that is a short walk at either end of a bus journey or a cycle to work or school, to a healthcare appointment or to a sporting event, may be the easiest way of achieving the increased physical activity that our health professionals advise. Behavioural and “nudge” initiatives will only have a limited effect without the infrastructure alongside it.
Therefore, Irish Cycling Campaign calls on all parties to accelerate the move to sustainable and active travel, and show international leadership in this domain.
We look forward to continuing to work with representatives from all parties during the next government term.
Notes and References:
Irish Cycling Campaign is the national cycling advocacy body for Ireland. Its local groups include those in cities, towns, villages and rural areas. ICC’s Local Groups have been campaigning since the 1990s to bring everyday cycling into the centre of transport policy and practice. ICC is the member for Ireland of the European Cyclists’ Federation. See www.irishcyclingcampaign.ie
Irish Cycling Campaign was well represented at the Climate and Environment hustings held earlier today (Wed 20 November) at the Royal Irish Academy on Dawson Street in Dublin. Dr. Mike McKillen, Colm Ryder and Dr. Damien Ó Tuama attended wearing ICC hats.
The Labour Party, by their Leader Deputy Ivana Bacik
Sinn Féin, by Deputy Darren O’Rourke
Green Party, by Senator Pippa Hackett
Fine Gael, by Deputy Hildegarde Naughton
People Before Profit-Solidarity, by Deputy Paul Murphy
Fianna Fáíl, by Deputy Thomas Byrne
Social Democrats, by Jennifer Whitmore
There was some reference to transport in the contributions, but not a huge amount. Both Ivana Bacik and Darren O’Rourke referred respectively to The Labour Party’s and Sinn Féin’s commitments to public transport, while Pippa Hackett referred to the current Programme for Government’s commitment of the spend ratio of 2:1 for public transport projects versus new roads. Deputy Naughton mentioned her own role in initiating the current Safe Routes to Schools projects. Much of the debate centred on retrofitting, carbon taxes, the Nature Restoration Law, data centres and LNG (Liquefied natural gas).
A YouTube recording of the event can be viewed here:
Irish Cycling Campaign is currently examining all the parties’ manifestos with a view to producing an analysis over the coming days. We will be reporting on this on the Irish Cycling Campaign website here. Watch this space.
In short though, we know that Ireland is still not on track to stay within our national carbon budgets or our EU commitments for 2030. All of the political parties will need to radically up their games if we are to rapidly reduce emission from transport.
In preparation for the imminent relaunch of our shiny new national organisation, we would like to develop a public document that shares the story of the impact we as cycling advocates have had over time. This won’t be a comprehensive listing of everything that has been achieved over the past 30+ years, but rather one that gives a flavour of the breadth of results that have been generated.
We need to hear your views. What is different now in your own life, in your community, in Ireland, as a result of our work? How have knowledge, discourses, attitudes, behaviours, relationships, quality of life, policies, practice, infrastructure or the environment changed?
It doesn’t matter if you are a long-term / hard core cycling activist or if you are a new member of the Irish Cycling Campaign. It doesn’t matter if you have masses you would like to share with us or only have a small thing you want to point to. What does matter is that you do it!
Please complete this one-question survey by 6 December 2024 at the very latest and encourage others to do the same. We can’t wait to hear from you.
Jo Sachs-Elridge & Sandra Velthuis on behalf of the Executive Committee & Board of Irish Cycling Campaign
Be with us in Ensuring Ireland’s Bike Riders are Lit Up this Winter!
Winter is upon us again and the dark evenings have drawn in. So it’s time to ensure that your bike, and other cyclists are lit up and legally compliant these winter nights!
So come on out and help your local cycle campaigners distribute bike lights over the coming weeks. It’s also a chance to meet fellow campaign members and encourage voters before the upcoming election! This is also an opportunity to encourage people to support and join the Irish Cycling Campaign – https://cyclist.ie/join/!
So why not join us on one of these nights in November!? Check out locally when it is happening via your local Cycling Campaign website or social media pages or via updates below on this webpage!
A BIG thanks for the bike lights’ supply from the NTA and the RSA, and for the support of Cyclone Couriers in distributing the lights countrywide!
The Bike Circus, Clonakilty (Co Cork) – see https://clonakiltybicyclefestival.org/bikecircus/ – will have sets of winter bike lights available Fridays and Saturdays for the month of November. Come by between 10-3pm to have your bike safety-checked and we will provide free lights to bikes that need them until we run out of stock!
Update on the previous year from Executive Committee
Financial update to include previous year’s audited accounts and current year to date
Acceptance of financial statements
Re-appointment of current auditor or appointment of new auditor
Elections to the Board
Elections to the Executive Committee
Motions
Special resolution to update constitution
Any other business
Special Resolution proposed by Board:
This meeting accepts the proposed amendments to the Constitution to remove the suffix “Company Limited By Guarantee” from the Company’s name, pursuant to an exemption under section 1180(1)(a) of Companies Act 2014.
Key dates:
Send nominations to the Board by 6pm on Wednesday, 20 November 2024
Send nominations to the Executive Committee by 6pm on Wednesday, 20 November 2024
Send member motions to [email protected] by 6pm on Wednesday, 20 November 2024
Final agenda with supporting information will be sent Wednesday, 27 November 2024
Final date of registration – 6pm on Monday, 02 December 2024.
Annual General Meeting – Wednesday, 04 December 2024 at 8pm – Online
Call for Members to Stand for Election for the Executive Committee of the Irish Cycling Campaign ahead of the ICC AGM taking place on Wed 04 Dec 2024
What is the Executive Committee of Irish Cycling Campaign? The mission of Irish Cycling Campaign (formerly Cyclist.ie – the Irish Cycling Advocacy Network) is to celebrate, advocate for and enable everyday cycling as a means of travel. We see the bicycle as a tool to secure many environmental, health and societal gains, and see cycling as an empowering and enjoyable activity in its own right. Irish Cycling Campaign (ICC) is both a Company Limited by Guarantee and a Registered Charity (RCN 20102029).
The Executive Committee of ICC is the group that is responsible for advancing the implementation of our current strategy and managing our day-to-day campaigning issues; the Board of ICC, on the other hand, looks after matters of governance. At our Annual General Meeting on Wed 04 December (at 8pm), a new / refreshed Executive Committee (of 12 persons max) of ICC will be elected by members of the organisation.
What does being an Executive Committee member entail? We are seeking strong campaigners to join the Executive Committee and to lead the organisation in the next phases of its advocacy journey. The expectations of EC members are listed here:
Always acting appropriately and in the best interests of our organisation
Preparing for, attending and participating fully in meetings of the Executive Committee, which are held online on a monthly basis (on approx 10 months of the year) and ideally include at least one in-person meeting per year
Actively contributing to the work of the Executive Committee and following through on actions agreed to
Actively contributing to the work of one of our Action Groups (ideally)
Time commitment: a couple of hours a week over a 1-year term (ideally)
What kind of people are you looking for?
A diversity of people in terms of age, gender and background
Based anywhere in Ireland
A commitment to help run a leading and growing advocacy organisation
Those who work well as part of a closely knit team
Holding a variety of skill-sets and experiences – such as campaigning / activism / advocacy / lobbying, event management, fundraising, communications, organisational development, IT, research etc.
Taking meaningful and effective action to combat the climate, health, road safety and associated crises
Gaining satisfaction from being involved in an organisation that is the leader in cycling and sustainable transport advocacy, and that is at an exciting juncture in its development
Being part of a friendly, hardworking team of other volunteers
Developing connections with and support from cycling advocates across the country.
Sharing your skills and learning some new ones along the way
If you are ready to throw your hat in the ring, please complete this nomination formby (the extended deadline of) Wed 20 November 2024. We are very much looking forward to hearing from you!
The Irish Cycling Campaign is both a Company Limited by Guarantee and a Registered Charity. The Board of Directors/Trustees is the grouping of people who are responsible for governing the organisation. The Board does not play an active role in campaigning and other day-to-day issues, but retains oversight and deals with matters relating to legal and regulatory compliance, risk management, financial control, internal policy development, staffing, and so on. We are now looking to fill up to three vacancies.
Always acting appropriately and in the best interests of our organisation
Preparing for, attending and participating fully in meetings of the Board, which are generally held online during the evening at least every two months
Actively contributing to the work of the Board and following through on actions agreed to
Time commitment: a couple of hours a week over a three-year term (ideally)
What kind of people are you looking for?
Adults of any age and from any background
Based anywhere in Ireland, with a particular desire for people outside of Dublin
Having a commitment to good governance
Suitable skills: we are especially interested in hearing from you if you have expertise in data protection, finance, HR or insurance
You preferably cycle but do you NOT need to have been involved in cycle campaigning previously
What would I get out of it?
Doing something practical to combat the climate, health, congestion, road safety and associated crises
Gaining satisfaction from being involved in an organisation that is a leader in cycling development and is at an exciting juncture
Being part of a friendly, hardworking team of other volunteers
A chance to share your skills and learn some new ones along the way
I might potentially be interested – what do I do?
If you want to find out more, you can contact our Board Chairperson Mairead Forsythe for an informal chat. If you are ready to throw your hat in the ring, please complete this nomination form by (the extended deadline of) Wed 20 November 2024. We are very much looking forward to hearing from you!
