General news about cycling
Cyclist.ie, in collaboration with An Taisce, made a submission today (Friday 5th August 2016) in regard to the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport’s preparations for a new Statement of Strategy for 2017 – 2019. The meaning of the Statement of Strategy is explained on the Department’s website here.
See also DublinCycling
An Irish campaign to introduce a law that requires motorists to give cyclists 1.5 metres clearance when passing from the rear is on the verge of a major breakthrough, with TDs drafting a suggested new law. Read more
The first ever fleet of Irish made electric bikes has hit the market, designed in Dublin by Venezuelan-born entrepreneur Annie Aragon.
Website: Artik Bikes
Reported in the Sunday Business Post (behind a pay wall), also in Women Mean Business
Ireland will be facing fines from the EU commission for failure to reduce carbon emissions – which accrue mainly to transport – and agriculture.
Ireland’s transport is exceptionally carbon intensive and has so far failed to follow European counterparts (Denmark, The Netherlands, Germany and France) who have made significant progress in unwinding car dependency – and in improving the liveability of their cities.
€10 billion is ear-marked for transport investment over the next six years, as per the government’s Capital Spending Plan 2016-2021 , but only €100 million is allocated for ‘active travel’ – which encompasses both walking and cycling
This means the national target of “10% of all trips to be taken by bike by 2020” will not be reached – without significant intervention …
Below is a sample letter to Transport Minster Shane Ross
___________________________________________________________________________
Dear Minister Ross,
The Infrastructure and Capital Investment Programme for 2016-2021, published last September, proposes just €100M for Smarter Travel (which includes cycling) out of a proposed €10billion transport budget. This represents a mere 1% of overall transport expenditure.
I am calling on you as the newly appoint Minister of Transport to
Allocate at least 10% of transport funding to cycling, in order deliver everyday cycling for all ages and abilities by –
I look forward to seeing action taken on this matter in the immediate future.
Yours sincerely,
___________________________________________________________________________
See also Dublin Cycling and Dublin Live
Press Release from Cyclist.ie – The Irish Cycling Advocacy Network – to mark the appointment of Professor Donal O’Shea (RCPI Policy Group on Obesity) as Honorary President to coincide with National Bike Week 2016 (Sat 11 – Sun 19 June)
Cyclist.ie – The Irish Cycling Advocacy Network – is pleased to announce the appointment of Prof Donal O’Shea as its first Hon. President. Prof O’Shea is a consultant endocrinologist specialising in obesity/overweight and is Chair of the Policy Group on Obesity at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. He is also a member of the Government’s Healthy Ireland Council.
“In the race to become the most obese country in Europe, Ireland looks set to win. Latest predictions estimate that by 2030, 90 per cent of Ireland’s population will be overweight or obese, the highest projected level of any European country.”
Prof O’Shea is delighted to accept this new role.
“I am very pleased to take on a role as Hon. President with Cyclist.ie – The Irish Cycling Advocacy Network. The association promotes everyday cycling activity – and that’s the type of physical activity that makes a real difference at a population level over time. We have seen the increase in triathlons and weekend distance cycles, but Cyclist.ie is really trying to encourage day to day cycling – to school, work or just down to the shops. That’s an important goal for making positive changes to our population health. Continue reading Appointment of Professor Donal O’Shea as Honorary President of Cyclist.ie
Cycling Ireland and Cyclist.ie have come together to form a strategic partnership to promote and advocate for the development of cycling on the island of Ireland. With the numbers of people cycling at an all-time high, this synergy promises to be an exciting new project which will allow both bodies to advocate more effectively for cycling. Read more
Cyclist.ie keeps a close eye on developments across the water in how British cities are changing to accommodate more cycling. As Irish campaigners we regularly travel across to cycling planning / advocacy events and enjoy meeting our cycle campaigning colleagues and swapping notes.
The latest trip was to Leicester to attend the Cycle City Active City conference. Leicester is undergoing a rapid transformation in recent years. Not only does the city boast the largest area of pedestrianised streets of any UK city (with cycle access and no record of serious collisions!), it has also been dismantling some of its gigantic flyovers – classic symbols of 1960s motorised automobility – and promoting urban regeneration. The nurturing of an everyday cycling culture is very much part of this mix. All of this has been helped along by a directly elected Mayor of the City Council (Peter Soulsby) and one of the most dynamic Local Authority Cycling Officers in the UK (Andy Salkeld).
We also heard the latest news from New York (Jon Orcutt) in which cycling is growing through a combination of high quality (protected) bike lanes and a large bike-share scheme, and from London where top notch cycle campaigning (by London Cycling Campaign and others) has prompted a series of directly elected mayors to treat the bicycle as a serious mode to alleviate congestion and help turn London into a more people friendly city. LCC’s latest success is getting a commitment from London’s new Mayor Sadiq Khan to triple the cycle superhighways, enable ‘Mini-Hollands’ in every borough and take dangerous lorries off streets.
Other excellent contributions came from Rachel Aldred, Senior Lecturer in Transport at Westminster University, who is studying how exactly reducing the volumes as well as the speeds of motorised traffic improves the environment for those not wearing a full body metal shell (her blog) and Philip Darnton, Executive Director of the Bicycle Association. Philip’s main argument is that £20M will enable every single school child in the UK to be trained in how to cycle in trafficked environments and every child deserves this training. Meanwhile, cycling journalist and author Carlton Reid recommended that we treat every outrageous / irrational anti-cyclist comment from various celebrities / notice boxes (such as ex- UK Chancellor Nigel Lawson’s as an indication that we are winning the battle: cycling is growing.
All in all, the Leicester conference was excellent. There were over 500 delegates / speakers plus another 300 cycle training instructors in attendance, and the quality of the presentations was really very good. There is an undoubted buzz generated by the more radical interventions on the streets of London to create safe cycling conditions for all – the question and feeling on everyone’s lips was: why should it just be on a handful of London’s streets that safe cycling conditions are created!? Hear hear!
Dr. Damien Ó Tuama is the National Cycling Coordinator for Cyclist.ie. He presented at the Leicester conference on “The (Slow) Progress in Implementing Ireland’s National Cycle Policy Framework”.
Stockholm was the host city for this year’s AGM of the European Cyclists’ Federation – the annual gathering of the member groups of ECF. Colm Ryder and Damien Ó Tuama represented Cyclist.ie – the Irish Cycling Advocacy Network. Read more
A simple reordering of priorities may make our capital city, or at least a segment of it, more attractive to cyclists and encourage more people to use this sensible, healthy and environmentally commendable form of transport. Read more
