Tag Archives: Infrastructure

Cycle lanes / paths and other interventions, but excluding Greenways

Irish Posts

Collaboration and Progress at the 2025 Active Travel & Greenways Conference

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Last week’s Active Travel and Greenways Conference in Limerick brought together a broad range of stakeholders – Local Authority staff, Active Travel teams, the National Transport Authority (NTA), Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), Fáilte Ireland and more – to discuss Ireland’s evolving cycling and walking infrastructure. Irish Cycling Campaign was there, represented by the Chairperson of our Executive Committee, Dave Tobin.

The event, held in the Limerick Strand Hotel over 26-27 March 2025, underscored how collaboration between all of these groups is central to delivering high-quality networks that serve both communities and visitors.

A Platform for Shared Learning
With sessions covering funding, tourism, behavioural science and project delivery, the conference fostered critically engaged discussions on best practices and the challenges of implementation. Particularly valuable was the opportunity for professionals from different agencies to learn directly from one another – whether it was engineers discussing technical standards, planners exploring integration with public transport, or tourism experts considering how greenways can drive local economies.

Cyclists enjoying the view off Barnagh layby on the Limerick Greenway (photo courtesy of Great Southern Greenway Group)

The interactive site visits on Day 1 showcased Limerick’s commitment to Active Travel, with participants cycling through new infrastructure in the city and the Limerick Greenway. These first-hand experiences reinforced the importance of well-designed networks that cater to both daily commuters and leisure users.

Photo from the Facebook page of Great Southern Greenway
See https://www.facebook.com/southerntrail.374 

Limerick Leading the Way
A standout theme of the event was Limerick’s clear progress towards completing its cycling network. The work of Limerick City and County Council’s Active Travel Team, coupled with its strategic approach to designing greenways, has placed it at the forefront of Ireland’s cycling transformation. Limerick’s work demonstrates how persistent investment and integrated planning can deliver real, tangible benefits — something other counties around the country can look to for inspiration.

Letterkenny’s Strong Vision
Letterkenny in Donegal also emerged as a leader in the discussions, with its range of town cycling projects setting a strong example of how urban areas can be reimagined for sustainable transport. Donegal County Council’s presentation highlighted how a well-planned Active Travel network can not only improve mobility but also boost local business and the quality of life for its residents. 

A Call for Continued Collaboration
The closing reflections of the two day conference emphasised that while individual projects are indeed advancing, greater inter-agency cooperation is needed to accelerate delivery nationwide. Events like this conference play a critical role in ensuring that knowledge-sharing and collaboration remain at the heart of Ireland’s Active Travel movement.

As Limerick continues to push forward, and other towns like Letterkenny lay the groundwork for transformational change, there is clear momentum behind building a truly connected, cycle-friendly Ireland. The challenge now is to maintain that momentum, ensuring that these conversations translate into action on the ground. 

EU Posts

Copenhagen – Cycling City

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Streetscape

Copenhagen is famous the world over as a “Cycling City”; the following notes are from a short trip to the city, in February

The image above shows a fairly typical major city street, a few km from the city centre; this is quite a wide street; from right to left (driving on the right), it offers:

  • Pavement
  • Cycle lane
  • Narrow separation strip, with some trees, some cycle parking
  • On-street parking
  • Two lanes of traffic
  • … and to same, in the reverse order, the other side of the street

This shows an (un-sheltered) bus stop, on the pavement; some bus stops are the other side of the cycle lane, where space allows

Cyclists are separated from vehicular traffic by both a line of parked cars and the separation strip

The cycle lane is wide enough for two cyclists abreast or a cargo bike, of which a good few are evident, or for overtaking

Near a junction, above, the on-street parking lane and the separation strip disappear, but the cycle lane remains

A narrower street, above, offers on-street parking on only one side of the road, and a single line of traffic each way, and maintains cycle lanes on both side of the road.

Still narrower streets, especially in more affluent residential areas, may have parked cars on both sides, and no cycle lanes

Junctions

Junctions are often the real test of whether or not cycling infrastructure is sufficiently well done to encourage a mass of cyclists

The junction type examined is controlled i.e. traffic lights; roundabouts are a different matter, and are – in general – hostile to cyclists

There is a strong cultural element, which determines how junctions work; there are two key elements to this, in the present context:

  • The traffic lights have only two modes: either one way has right of way, or the other does; note that this applies only to a “cross” – one straight road crossing another at or near a right angle; five or more roads are more complicated
    • This is linked to the practice of turning traffic giving way to cyclists and pedestrians crossing, see the image below; this practice significantly simplifies the junction and speeds up the junction cycle time, compared to more complicated attempts at complete segregation
  • Cycle traffic turning left (where driving on the right) make a “hook turn”, see the second image below; this means going straight over at the junction, then waiting ’til the lights change, and continuing, to the left
Turning traffic waits for users of the pedestrian crossing, who have right of way
The so-called Copenhagen Left”; this has advantages, but also its detractors: http://www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com/search/label/copenhagen_left

Cycle Parking

Cycle parking is ubiquitous, and is especially evident outside public buildings; even small or narrow spaces are used e.g. in the separation strip mentioned above

Bike Shops

Bike shops are seen quite regularly

This one offers a number of cargo bikes; because these are wider than a regular bicycle, they will only be found in areas with decent cycling infrastructure

Pedestrian & Cycle Bridge

This bridge, above, is in central Copenhagen, and links the city centre to a fairly new housing development the other side of the water; note that the cycle lane is fairly straight, but the pedestrian lane has several dog-legs; below, from the same place, looking back, towards the canal and city centre

Below is a three-way junction; note the pedestrian / cyclist roundabout, which is paint only; evidently it can be busy

General Observations

One of the most obvious features of the city streets is that there aren’t that many cars, at least in comparison with the Anglo-sphere, either in motion or parked; this is obviously a consequence of multiple factors; two stand out

Other significant factors

  • Copenhagen is not obviously high-rise, but is not low-rise either; about 5 floors seems typical; this is a well-known complementary factor linked in positive benefit feedback with public transport and cycling
  • Copenhagen is flat, which removes one of the barriers to cycling
  • Most cycle lanes also appeared continuous, far more so than in other jurisdictions, where cycle lanes suffer many more inconveniences
  • Fewer cars, especially fewer parked cars means more room for public space e.g. this small area, on a main city street offers a cafe, other small retailers, an open area, trees and greenery and seating, in use even with snow on the ground
Irish Posts, Northern Ireland

Cycling the Portadown – Newry – Carlingford Greenways

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Colm Walsh, a long-time member of Dublin Cycling Campaign, cycled the Portadown-Newry-Carlingford Greenways on a trip in August 2024. In this article he reports on his mini-adventure. 

Having viewed the Newry Canal from the train over the years, I chose a weekday in August and cycled Portadown-Newry-Carlingford-Dundalk. Below is my round-up. 

The ‘trailhead’ at Albert Lock, Newry

Overall, it’s not a great route – it feels unfinished and disconnected: Enterprise train 09:30 Dublin to Portadown, good coffee and plenty of bike hooks in the Guards’ Wagon. Easy way-finding from train station – helpful ticket inspector, 250m across roads to trailhead, nice cafe area there & east along the Bann river, branching off southward to Newry after a few 100m. Peaceful canalside towpath, gravelly, tree roots in places, small cafes, caravan coffee stops if you wish, Scarva village couple larger choices. 

The Trailhead at Portadown

Scarva village

Hit Newry about 2hours 15mins later. Dumped in the city centre, not very cycle friendly, no parking racks, found a large pub “Oliver’s” on the river for pitstop ‘only takes cash’’ (?) but when I protested at the house ATM fees, they produced a card machine! Fine. Off and down the river southward, but missed the start of the new and still-being-completed Carlingford Greenway. Instead of finding here the entrance to the canal towpath at Newry on the Albert Lock – which isn’t signposted and you just have to know it’s there – which brings you between the lough and the canal to Victoria lock, I ended up cycling past a Traveller encampment in wasteland, quite a scrappy start to greenway, then dumped on the road alongside the Albert Basin to the Victoria carpark and supposed start to the Carlingford Greenway, but not complete, only bits/bobs? 

Some unloved signage  along the way on the Newry canal, Co. Down

Unless I missed an entrance, I ended up cycling to Omeath before I could get access, many signs telling me ‘No Greenway Access’ heading towards the Greenway, which I could see parallel to me across fields, but genuinely couldn’t work out how to get on! Only in County Louth did wayfinding improve, but even in Omeath it was not clear how to start on the Greenway. I ended up going in through a caravan park. It’s fine, a bit gravelly, but the southerly wind the whole way didn’t help! 

These were visible – but no – ‘Greenway this way’ signs! In Co. Louth

Couple coffee stops available, hit Carlingford, and awful cycle on the hard shoulders of R173, a busy road serving ports & headwind until I turned west. Under pressure to catch 17:20 train, I stopped only very briefly, and quaffed the most delicious IPA at the Railway Bar, Dundalk after 76km or so with 15 mins to train. Back on Irish Rail, with three bicycles occupying two berths (that I had booked), so the guard turned a blind eye. Bring on the new carriages. I wouldn’t rush back to do that, kept going to Dundalk to avoid doubling back – but would not recommend that section, and ironically passing so many ‘No to Cooley Greenway’ signs!

Leinster says ‘no’!

Useful links but not much info available online:

http://greenwaysireland.org/

Newry to Dundalk Greenway

Thanks to Dave Anderson & Mairéad Forsythe for input.

Note:
If any other of our members have recently tried out some new (or perhaps older) signed cycle routes and would like to pen an article about your experiences, we would be delighted to hear from you. You can contact us here.  

Uncategorized

Do Our Planning Submissions Make A Difference?

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In this article, Irish Cycling Campaign’s Infrastructure Coordinator, Colm Ryder, considers if ICC’s planning submissions are making a difference – and, if yes, in what way?

The Irish Cycling Campaign (formerly Cyclist.ie) has been making submissions to Planning Authorities and Government Bodies, on public consultations, for at least the past 15 years. This work is part of our broader efforts to improve conditions for active travel by engaging constructively through the planning system. 

We ask here: do these submissions help to make a difference in how designers and planners view active travel provision? Our view is that they can certainly help to make alterations to proposed projects, as we also know from discussions and feedback with different local Councils, and from the issued “Part 8” Final Reports (i.e. Part 8 of the of Planning and Development Regulations 2001 (as amended)). But also we know that certain Local Authorities do sometimes ignore our comments, particularly if they are critical of the relevant Local Authority and its policies.

So, we continue to make submissions on schemes and policies right across the country – when, that is, we actually get to know if consultations are happening!  Unfortunately this has not always been the case, as public consultations are difficult to track, and up to now there has been no standard website or tracker mechanism, which keeps on top of consultations published. There are also the cases where Local Authorities post consultations online, but do not encourage submissions (e.g. by not providing an email address to facilitate this), with the result that some schemes can have very few, or even zero, submissions. This is an unhealthy indication of the democracy of our planning system.

But, recently, the Local Government Management Agency has been trialling a national planning system, where many Local Authorities post their consultations and general planning information. The consultations at present are confined to Part 8 consultations, but we would hope that all public consultation processes, including Section 38 processes, will soon come under the umbrella of this overarching website. This will make it easier for Joe/Mary Citizen to access and find out what is happening both nationwide and in their own area. In the case of the Irish Cycling Campaign, we are of course interested in any proposed active travel schemes countrywide, and not just where our local groups are active!

In the first six months of 2024 alone, we have centrally made over 40 submissions to 18 Local Authorities and to four government agencies/departments. This does not include the many submissions made locally, directly from our network of local groups, on local schemes of interest. The vast majority of the schemes we have submitted on are specific proposed active travel improvement schemes in our towns and cities. But an increasing number of rural Local Authorities are working to develop greenways, to encourage mainly local leisure use, but also to attract tourism. Some of these proposed greenways will in the long term link into the developing National Cycle Network (NCN).

We, in the Irish Cycling Campaign will continue to advocate for cyclists and pedestrians, in order to make our streets safer and more liveable. It is important that we continue to make our voice heard through multiple channels, including through these formal planning consultation processes. Through these channels we can help to ensure that planning bodies and local authorities develop acceptable policies, and implement high quality active travel schemes in line with the the Cycle Design Manual, Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets, and Rural Cycleway Design documents. 

If you have any interest in supporting this work, or in making your own planning consultation submissions, why not contact us at [email protected]?

You can also support our vital work by making a donation, which will help to cover the administrative expenses of making submissions. Visit cyclist.ie/donate to contribute today.

Note – the featured image above was taken in June 2024 at Utrecht’s multi-story cycle parking facility by Irish Cycling Campaign’s reps en route to the Velo-city conference in Ghent.

International Posts

Oulu by Bike

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Adam D’Arcy from Cork Cycling Campaign is just back from Oulu in Finland and he has kindly sent Irish Cycling Campaign a little report on his cycling experiences in, arguably, the leading city in the world for winter cycling. Many thanks Adam!  

This April (2024), I got to spend a week in Oulu, Finland as part of an Erasmus exchange with Oulu University. It is roughly the same size as Cork city in population but feels quite different in character.

The city grew in the 1960s when new industries expanded attracting workers from rural areas. The original street grid pattern was more intensely occupied, but new suburbs emerged with a mix of apartment blocks and single family homes nestled between the pine trees in a sort of park-like landscape.

The default wide paths are shared between walkers and cyclists, but they also have a network of two-way cycle routes (Baana) which provide a way to cycle almost anywhere with minimal interaction with cars. This enables school kids, students, workers or leisure cyclists to soak in some nature as they get around. Cars must yield to cyclists where these Baana cross the roads and, incredibly, the cars do stop!

By the use of underpasses they avoid busy roads, while the islands of the bay are linked by bridges providing nice views of the water framed by trees. 

They style themselves as a leader in Winter Cycling and even in a good bit of snow, there were plenty of cyclists around. Most cyclists have summer tyres, but also winter tyres which have little metal studs and are essential in snow, thus enabling year round cycling. 

With the help of Damien Ó Tuama and our friends in the European Cyclists’ Federation, I got in touch with the local branch of the Finnish Cyclists’ Federation – Oulun Polkupyöräilijät (try saying that after a few beers!) – and their Chairperson, Anni, kindly lent me a bike for the week for my daily commute to the university and other excursions. As it happened, they had a meeting lined up while I was there so I went along and met them for a pint and a chat.

They face similar issues to ourselves, cycle path maintenance, interaction with pedestrians etc., but all in all, they are streets ahead of us when it comes to daily cycling – about 20% of trips are done by bike and they want to do even more. Well worth a visit if you get half a chance.

For more information on Oulu, see:

If you are abroad over the coming months and end up in a place which has a strong cycling culture or in a city/country which is making special efforts to grow cycling – and you fancy penning a few words on your trip – we would love to hear from you! Just drop our National Cycling Coordinator a line here. 

International Posts, Irish Posts

Minister for Transport meets Navan Cycling Initiative

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Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan attended Meath County Council earlier today (Fri 23 February 2024) to launch the Council’s Climate Action Plan and to speak with councillors. 

Members of Navan Cycling Initiative were delighted that, in the midst of all the PR, he took some time to speak with the campaigners about cycling in Navan – how was it, does it feel safe, is it getting better?

According to Dave Anderson from Navan Cycling Initiative, who is also a member of the Irish Cycling Campaign Executive Committee –

“We’ve spent much of the active travel budget so far on design and paperwork. Now we need construction and concrete. This is starting to happen, with the Trim Road project. This needs to continue, and our councillors need to step up and ensure it happens at pace.”

The full story can be read at https://navancycling.ie/yes-minister/.  

Irish Posts

Irish Cycling Campaign Submission on Rosses Point Public Realm Project

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Our newly inaugurated Irish Cycling Campaign (formerly Cyclist.ie) has made its first formal planning related submission to Sligo County Council, together with our member group Sligo Cycling Campaign.  And what better place to start than the lovely seaside town of Rosses Point west of Sligo Town. Note that the image above shows a present view of the Rosses Point coastal road.

The Rosses Point Public Realm Enhancement project is a scheme aimed at providing improved walking and cycling facilities along the main coastal road in Rosses Point.  Interestingly, this project is funded from the Rural Regeneration Development Fund (RRDF) and not through available Active Travel funding.  Last year’s active travel funding allocated a separate €70,000 for footpaths in the village itself.  This was out of a total active travel allocation of €3 million for the county of Sligo for 2023.

Both Sligo Cycling Campaign and the Irish Cycling Campaign were supportive of the project, which Sligo Cycling Campaign views as the beginning/end of a Sligo Coastal Mobility Route from Rosses Point to Strandhill.  We both made a number of suggestions for proposed improvements.  Our submissions can be read HERE (for the ICC one) and HERE (for the Sligo CC one).  Our main points related to:

  • Compliance with the Cycling Design Manual
  • Speed limit reduction to 30kph
  • Consistent narrowing of the main carriageway to help reduce speeds
  • Controlled pedestrian and bike crossings
  • Consistent bike track width
  • Junction design improvement
  • Bus Stop shelter provision
  • More inclusive bike parking

Sligo Cycling Campaign members try out a potential Coastal Mobility Route to Rosses Point

We would be hopeful that Sligo County Council will take our considered points on board, and we look forward to the building of the proposed scheme sometime soon.

These two submissions are the first of many that will be submitted in the coming year by the Irish Cycling Campaign and its members across the country.  We will continue to make these submissions to Local Authorities and national bodies, to ensure that proposed active travel schemes are planned and built to a high standard.  Last year alone in 2023, as Cyclist.ie, we made over 50 submissions on Active Travel projects nationwide!

If you would like to support us in this valuable work in making Ireland better and safer for cycling and walking why not join Irish Cycling Campaign, or consider making a donation – or even better, get involved in our work through our many local groups?

You too can be the agent of change!

Irish Posts

NCN Launch in Sallins – Irish Cycling Campaign Report

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The Irish Cycling Campaign, formerly known as Cyclist.ie, was delighted to attend yesterday’s launch of the National Cycle Network Plan in Sallins, County Kildare. Our National Cycling Coordinator, Dr. Damien Ó Tuama, and Conor Winchcombe from local group Naas Cycling Campaign were present for the event, along with national level and local level politicians and officials, local school children and other locals out walking their dogs to try out the new facilities. 

The publication of the NCN Plan was timed to coincide with the formal opening of the section of the Grand Canal Greenway from Sallins to Aylmer Bridge, and a new pedestrian and cycle bridge over the Grand Canal, a short distance away from the existing road bridge over the canal on the main Sallins to Naas (R407) road. The new canal bridge provides a motor traffic free link that will be enormously helpful for local school children, for those walking and cycling to the nearby Sallins train station, and for the increasing number of recreational cyclists and visitors to the area. Visitor numbers are also sure to increase when the Grand Canal greenway link from Adamstown to Hazel Hatch is completed in the near future.

At the launch, Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan (pictured below) stressed the multiple functions of high quality motor traffic free and greenway infrastructure – it’s about catering for local school and intermodal commuter trips as well cycle tourism. 

The Irish Cycling Campaign is very happy to see the NCN Plan published. The publication of the final plan comes approximately 18 months after the circulation of the draft NCN plan, and after Irish Cycling Campaign (then called Cyclist.ie) made a detailed submission on the draft plan (see here) as did many Cyclist.ie local member groups. 

The planned NCN (shown below) will link cities and towns of over 5,000 people with a safe, connected and inviting cycle network. The proposed cycle network of approximately 3,500km will connect more than 200 settlements and 2.8m people. It will link to destinations such as transport hubs, centres of education, centres of employment, leisure, and tourist destinations with the intention of facilitating greater cycling and walking amongst students, leisure users, tourists, and commuters alike.

In a separate article, we will comment further on elements of the plan and details of route choices.

Notes:

The featured image at the top was kindly provided by Félim Kelly from Aecom. In that photograph are (going from left to right): Damien (Irish Cycling Campaign), Felim (Aecom), Richard (Transport Infrastructure Ireland), Michael (TII), Úna (TII) and Elizabeth (Department of Transport).

The National Cycle Network Plan can be read here: 

https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/34846-national-cycle-network/

See also the coverage provided here:

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/ryan-unveils-national-cycle-network-plan-to-create-3500km-of-linked-cycleways-between-towns-and-cities-by-2040/a795118251.html (in which Irish Cycling Campaign is quoted)

https://www.irishtimes.com/transport/2024/01/10/new-cycle-routes-to-cover-3500km-across-state-by-2040-at-a-cost-of-14bn/

https://irishcycle.com/2024/01/10/larger-active-travel-budget-will-be-needed-says-minister-ryan-as-he-launches-e1-4-e1-9-billion-plan-for-national-cycle-network/ 

Irish Posts

Irish Cycling Campaign Welcomes Launch of New National Cycle Network Plan

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The Irish Cycling Campaign (formerly known as Cyclist.ie – the Irish Cycling Advocacy Network) welcomes the publication of Ireland’s first National Cycle Network (NCN) plan.

The launch takes place in Sallins, Co. Kildare on Wednesday 10th January 2024. The NCN identifies a network of 85 cycling corridors around the country linking cities and towns of over 5,000 people.

Overall, we strongly support the development of a NCN, the aim of which is “to link towns, cities and destinations across Ireland with a safe, connected and inviting cycle network; encouraging more people away from their cars and onto their cycles.” 

In response to the public consultation on the draft version of the plan back in June 2022, we made a detailed submission which is available here. Then as now, we make the point that: 

We need to replace the lion’s share of our shorter car journeys (under 5km/10km) with active travel trips, and our longer car trips with either public transport on its own, or active travel plus public transport for those living further away from public transport services. This is where the real carbon savings – and improvements to public health – can take place. We welcome the aim (as shown in the image below from the NCN website) that the NCN will link with public transport services, and also with other key destinations and cycle networks.

National Cycling Coordinator, Dr. Damien Ó Tuama, added that:

A core objective of the NCN needs to be to connect the towns and villages with safe/attractive cycle-friendly routes to their own rural hinterlands in all directions to a radius of 5-8km. This will allow for the most important local trips (to schools and shops for example) to be made safe for active travel – and hence for the greatest possible impact to be made on increasing the modal shares for cycling.

We look forward to the opening of a section of the Grand Canal Greenway between Sallins and Aylmer Bridge, at which the launch of the plan will take place.

The Irish Cycling Campaign will post its reflections on the launched plan after the event. 

Note – image above taken from this page https://ncn.consultation.ai/