All posts by Will

Hi, I'm a Dubliner, an architect, and an advocate for liveable cities.
Irish Posts

How are Local Authorities doing on Active Travel Planning Consultations?

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Is your Local Authority advancing Active Travel?

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!

Irish Posts

Oireachtas All-Party Cycling Group Bike Week Cycle

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We had a super turnout of supporters of cycling from the Dáil, Seanad and beyond at the annual Oireachtas spin.

It’s almost become a tradition now for Oireachtas members to ride around Dublin to celebrate Bike Week and the joys of cycling.

It’s a great way for us to catch up with Oireachtas members who appreciate how good cycling is for mental and physical health, how it offers real economic opportunities, and how it can help restore local and global environments.

(L to R) Senators Maria Sherlock and Gerard Horken, cycle organiser Ivana Bacik TD (Mike McKillen)

Ivana Bacik TD (Lab), Lynn Boylan TD (SF), Richard Bruton TD (FG), Patrick Costello (GP), Senator Roisin Garvey (GP), Senator Gerard Horken (FF), Senator Alice-Mary Higgins (Ind), Pauline O’Reilly TD (GP),  Darren O’Rourke (SF) Senator Marie Sherlock (Lab), were members who made time to bike and chat.

We were very grateful to Ivana and staff for gathering the All-Party group and organising the event, in cooperation with our hard-working Irish Cycling Campaign Vice-chair, Dave Tobin. Also a shout-out to Dublin Cycling Campaign members who came along.

‘Great to see Bike Week uniting the likes of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the Greens, Labour, Sinn Féin and others, and for once no-one competing for first place!’

– Dave Tobin

Top photo courtesy of Ivana’s office. More images, courtesy of Mike McKillen – https://www.flickr.com/photos/65436171@N00/albums/72177720316968403/

Irish Posts

Our ‘Ban Car Ads’ Initiative Moves Forward

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The Irish Cycling Campaign’s initiative to prohibit or reduce fossil fuel advertising has moved forward a significant step with today’s Earth Day promotion by Paul Murphy TD of his Bill.

Deputy Murphy’s Bill was initially published last month. It seeks to prohibit the advertising of any fossil fuels, and any land vehicle or aircraft using fossil fuel. The way our transport system is skewed towards the use of cars, the dominance of our roads by car use, and the huge health detriments of our sedentary lifestyle and chronic car dependence are all worsened by advertising.

To quote Deputy Murphy, ‘Once you start to notice it, it is striking just how much car advertising there is: how many advertisements you see on TV are for cars; how many billboards are for car advertisements; and how much sponsorship of popular TV programmes, such as “The Late Late Show”, is from car manufacturers. There is evidence this has a direct link to the lack of media coverage of climate change, a topic, for example, that “The Late Late Show” has barely covered in all its years of showcasing shiny new cars. Last year in Ireland the number of new fossil-fuelled cars increased by 10% to more than 99,000’.

So some restriction on the ability of the motor industry to spend tens of millions in the Irish market would bring huge benefits to society. Action is long overdue.

The Bill’s already passed the first stage in the Oireachtas and received significant news coverage, such as the following:

  1. Newstalk article gives an overview — https://www.newstalk.com/news/time-for-tobacco-style-ban-on-fossil-fuel-car-advertisements-pbp-1651055 
  2. RTÉ interview about it (17 mins) – https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22366061/ 
  3. Public poll in Journal.ie (Bill wasn’t very popular!): https://www.thejournal.ie/should-there-be-a-ban-on-fossil-fuel-advertising-6320804-Mar2024/ 

Attending the press release at Buswells Hotel today was (centre of photograph) the Campaign’s Board Member Mary Sinnott, who worked to bring the issue to the attention of Deputy Murphy and team, filmmaker and activist Peadar King and Dr. Seán Owens, whose campaigning work focusses on the devastating effects of climate change on public health. Deputy Bríd Smith is on the far left, beside Deputy Murphy.

We understand that Sinn Féin also have a Bill, promoted by Senator Lynn Boylan aimed at restricting fossil fuel lobbying and (as an apolitical advocacy group) the Campaign will be glad to work with any body seeking to improve our transport choices, improve road safety, reduce air and noise pollution, and of course to limit climate change.

Reflecting on the Bill, Mary told the press conference,

‘Irish road transportation contributes 94% of transport-related greenhouse gases.Restricting fossil fuel product advertising will rebalance consumer choice towards sustainable modes of transport. It will reflect our national commitment to reduce our CO2 emissions by 2030, and to phase them out by 2050. Those committments we are already behind on.’

Mary quoted the poem “Begin” by Brendan Kenneally:

Though we live in a world that dreams of ending
that always seems about to give in
something that will not acknowledge conclusion
insists that we forever begin

Irish Posts

Engineers Ireland support the push for sustainable transport

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There was a very heartening event last week.

Established professional body Engineers Ireland hosted a progressive, forward-looking conference aimed at informing their members – civil and structural engineers especially – about Ireland’s current surge towards more sustainable, healthy transport.

(Below) Can Ginty compares modal share over distance in Netherlands

While the provision of safe, segregated infrastructure is definitely an engineering problem, Ireland faces several other barriers in reducing car dependence and GHG emissions from transport. It was great to see presentations on policy, on transport funding, and on simply walking.

It was really inspiring and encouraging to see everyone from Finola O’Driscoll of the NTA through experts Professor Brian Caulfield and Dr. Lorraine d’Arcy, and even Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail, to outstanding cycling advocate Cian Ginty all agreeing on how we need to shift modes of transport to healthier, cleaner, cheaper forms.

Denise Keogan gave the Department of Transport’s overview – to halve CO2 emissions by 2030 (compared to 2018 levels) we’ll need to double active travel rates. Progress is good but, according to Prof. Caulfield of TCD, our focus on electric cars is misplaced and we need to ramp up efforts dramatically if we’re to get near our targets.

(Above) Denise Keogan outlines Government policies

A few of the highlights we took away were… 

• 50% GHG reduction by 2030 is a big … big ask. But we’re making real progress: Rural Link is only one of several strong initiatives

• Gender audits should be part of every plan and proposal

• Cycle parking in train stations is way cheaper than giving space for bikes on trains (lesson from the Netherlands)

• 35% of road GHG’s is from National roads

• Cycling will only do the ‘heavy lifting’ of modal shift in denser, urban areas

• Donald Shoup’s seminal resaerch on parking is worth a read.