With a General Election on the cusp of being called, Irish Cycling Campaign is publishing here its top asks for all political parties. These are shown in the graphic on this page and with details provided further below.

The targeted investment we are seeking over the life-time of the next government will support healthier communities, reduce congestion, and contribute to Ireland’s climate goals. The investment in these projects is vital to providing safe, convenient cycling options for communities across Ireland.

The 8 Asks below were developed over the last few months, and refined at Irish Cycling Campaign’s recent Gathering held in Dublin.

And over the coming weeks, we will be assessing the quality of each political party’s election manifesto on the topic of active travel / sustainable transport policy with reference to each of the 8 Asks below.  

Further details on each of Irish Cycling Campaign’s Asks

#1 – Increase Investment in Sustainable and Public Transport 
Commit:
(i) to allocating a minimum of 20% of each year’s transport capital funding for walking and cycling for the full duration of the government, and 
(ii) to a 5:1 ratio of funding for new public transport infrastructure compared to new road infrastructure (i.e. covering both the planning/pre-construction and construction phases of work).

Noting here that we are still catching up on many decades of under-investment in walking, cycling and public transport infrastructure. 

#2 – Deliver Cycling and Public Transport Infrastructure 
Accelerate the delivery of: 

(i) high quality metropolitan and town cycle networks as per the National Transport Authority / NTA’s CycleConnects plan, and Transport Infrastructure Ireland National Cycle Network routes, and 

(ii) transformative public transport projects including: those listed in the All Island Strategic Rail Review; rural Local Link bus routes;p BusConnects in all cities; Luas expansion/developments in Dublin and Cork; DART+; and Metrolink.

#3 – Prioritise Safe Routes to School
The drastic reduction in the number of children cycling (and walking) to school over recent decades sends out warning signals in relation to the overall health of our future generations.  Within the envelope of funding active travel infrastructure, safe routes to school – and not just front of school treatments – need to be prioritised in order to reverse this trend.

#4 – Enhance Cyclist Safety 
Strengthen enforcement by An Garda Síochána to protect vulnerable road users, with a focus on those walking and cycling. A video upload portal should be introduced without delay to facilitate the reporting of dangerous driving and other road traffic law infringements.

#5 – Broaden Access to Bikes
Introduce a Bike for Life scheme to replace the current Bike to Work scheme, to make cycling accessible for everyone, including children, pensioners, and those not covered by the current Bike to Work scheme. This will support active travel and social inclusion for all age groups.

#6 – Expand Bike Parking & Bike Sharing Schemes 
Develop large, secure, and supervised bike parks — suitable for all bike types — at major transport hubs, and all major trip destinations. Additionally, expand bike-sharing schemes in both existing and new locations to encourage more people to adopt cycling as a daily mode of transport.

#7 – Legislate to Enable Best Practice Cycle Infrastructure Designs
Ensure all necessary legislative changes are enacted without delay to support the legal application of the NTA’s Cycle Design Manual, and the implementation of the legislative innovations now practised throughout Europe, to provide greater support for Active Travel. This will empower local authorities to deliver innovative, safe, and efficient cycling infrastructure, in line with best practice in urban design and active travel.

#8 – Address Vehicle Overuse and Car Size
Review Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) levels to encourage the use of smaller, greener vehicles. Reducing the presence of large and oversized cars will improve road safety and help to tackle emissions.

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General Election Asks 2020

For comparison with our current asks, we show below our Top 10 Asks that were developed ahead of the 2020 General Election and more information on these is available here – https://cyclist.ie/2020/10/cyclist-ie-10-asks-budget-2021/. 

Later this week, Irish Cycling Campaign will provide a summary overview of the progress made over the last five years in respect to these 10 Asks from the 2020 General Election campaign. To be added just below.