Tag Archives: Infrastructure

Cycle lanes / paths and other interventions, but excluding Greenways

Dublin

DCC welcomes new contra-flow bus/cycle lane on Camden St – Richmond St corridor

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On Wed 14th January at 11:00 h, Dublin City Council will open a new contra-flow bus/cycle lane on Camden Street Upper – Richmond Street, which will run past the ‘Bleeding Horse’ pub (i.e. south towards Rathmines).

Dublin Cycling Campaign has been working hard behind the scenes for many years to persuade Dublin City Council to provide a southbound contra-flow cycling facility on this corridor. The new traffic management arrangement also comes into being in the context of the Luas Cross City works on Dawson Street and, Suffolk Street. Dublin Cycling Campaign sits on the City’s ‘Cycle Forum’, where projects like this get progressed.

The now-soon-to-be-reconfigured “Bleeding Horse gyratory” was voted (among members) as one of Dublin’s 10 worst junctions in Dublin Cycling Campaign’s survey in recent years. The new contra-flow bus/cycle lane enables cyclists, heading south towards Rathmines, to avoid taking the annoying and very cycling-unfriendly and unsafe detour around by the Odeon pub and back onto Harcourt Road; instead they can now travel outbound directly (and legally) past the ‘Bleeding Horse’ pub towards Rathmines bridge. This represents important progress in making Dublin more cycle-able.

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL BEST PRACTICE

The conversion of cyclist-unfriendly, multi-lane one-way streets and gyratories to streets with contra-flow cycling facilities and cycling friendly junctions is one policy objective of the National Cycle Policy Framework, the government’s overarching plan to increase the modal share for everyday cycling from its current national figure of approx 2% to 10% (which essentially means bringing the modal share of cycling in Dublin City from approx. 8% to 20-25% of trips). The provision of high quality contra-flow facilities for cyclists – and exemptions for cyclists on one-way streets with safer 30km/h speed limits – is also recognized internationally as a key intervention in making streets more attractive for urban cyclists.

However … while Dublin Cycling Campaign broadly welcomes the new traffic arrangements, we also think that the City Council did not go far enough in terms of providing for cyclists: the street network is still remarkably impermeable for cycling. For example, for cyclists traveling along the South Circular Road (Harrington Street section) towards Camden Street, they will still be required to turn left towards the city centre; the new traffic management arrangements:

  • do not enable cyclists to turn right onto the new contra-flow bus/cycle lane so as to continue southwards to Rathmines
  • do nothing to enable cyclists to continue directly onto Harcourt Road (so as to be able to turn right towards Ranelagh); Harcourt Road will remain as a one-way street.

Furthermore, Dublin Cycling Campaign has some concern about mixing so many buses with so many bikes on the corridor: it is essential that the drivers of the buses pay special attention to cyclists on this route – and, of course, essential that cyclists ride assertively and sensibly (by, for example, adopting the control road position while using the contra-flow lane). Overall though, we are optimistic that after everyone gets used to the new road layout, the new direct route out of town will improve life for those cycling in the city.

Finally, Dublin Cycling Campaign welcomes the provision of additional cycle parking along the newly configured route and a new special ‘right turn pocket’ to enable dublinbikes users to turn right onto Grantham Street to their docking station.

International Posts

ECF Factsheet on Fast Cycling Routes

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FAST CYCLING ROUTES, WHAT ARE THEY?

Fast cycling routes are “high standard bicycle paths reserved for cyclists for fast and direct commuting over long distances.”

The 5 widely agreed criteria for high-quality cycling infrastructure can be applied to fast cycle routes. These are: 1. Safety, 2. Coherence, 3. Directness, 4. Comfort, 5. Attractiveness.

Beyond that, additional commonly agreed criteria and characteristics do not exist yet as the concept of fast cycling routes is relatively new.

Read factsheet

International Posts

Paris plans to ban cars from its city center

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Paris is surging toward the front of the peloton of European cities racing for more bike- and pedestrian-friendly streets. Mayor Anne Hidalgo recently announced an ambitious plan to transform the historic city center into a “semi-pedestrianized” zone, where walking and biking will be encouraged, and automobile access will be limited to emergency vehicles, residents’ cars, and delivery trucks. Read article

UK Posts

UK Cycling Delivery Plan

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UK Cycling Delivery Plan

The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport could usefully reflect on this report when undertaking its review of the NCPF under way at present; the following is taken directly from the document:

In forming a partnership with government, we would expect local authorities to:

  • Set a clear and specific vision for their area which outlines how cycling and walking will be increased and supported in a defined area over a defined period;
  • Develop a local walking and cycling delivery plan, supported by their own local partners such as voluntary sector organisations;
  • Appoint an influential cycling and walking champion locally, be that an elected member, supported by senior officer or a key public figure;
  • Demonstrate a commitment to door-to-door journeys, and to creating safe cycling and walking provision through cycle proofing and pedestrian proofing new transport infrastructure and, where relevant, a planned and funded cycling and walking investment programme;
  • Demonstrate that their walking and cycling plans include steps to meet the needs of people from hard to reach groups – including disabled people, older people and others whose needs may differ.
Irish Posts

Bicycle Strategy for Northern Ireland – Cyclist.ie Submission

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Cyclist.ie review of the NI Draft Bicycle Strategy

Full submission

The Bicycle Strategy will be followed up by “a Bicycle Strategy Delivery Plan” which will outline specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound objectives, policies and actions.” Overall the draft Strategy includes some valuable points but we stressed in our submission that it is essential that the final Plan will include funding commitments as well. Otherwise the strategy is meaningless.

Some other key points we made were as follows:

  • The current spend on cycling in NI is very close to nothing. The public expenditure on NI roads for the year 2013-14 was £436M and less than 0.25% of this was spent on cycling infrastructure.
  • The road network (barring motorways) is there for everyone to use and it needs to be tamed so as to be safe and attractive for bicycles. It is utterly iniquitous that the existing road network is perceived to be hostile for cycling for all but the most battle-hardened cyclists!
  • It is crucial that driving training instructors and the PSNI fully understand the nature of cycling and correct road positioning, and can communicate that message to their trainees and officers, respectively. This is explained well in film by the Bicycle Association as reported on in the media just last week
  • The draft strategy needs to be much more ambitious in regard to seeking to make all built up areas traffic calmed, and safe and attractive for bicycle users of all ages (i.e. 8 to 80) and abilities. Unless there is a serious shift in policy towards making places liveable and attractive and “inviting for all” by reducing speeds on a widespread basis, there will be no cyclists left on Northern Irish roads!
Irish Posts

Improvements to cycle and public transport access to Cork Station

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Millions of euro in funding is to be spent improving accessibility between Kent Station and the city centre; construction on the project commenced summer 2014. Iarnród Éireann had been seeking to enhance the existing facilities at the Cork train station, with plans to develop the North Docks with an entrance building accessed from Horgan’s Quay. Now €2.9m in funding, administered by the National Transport Authority, is to be spent on the new entrance and bus, cycle and access arrangements to improve connections to the city. Read article

Cork Cycling Campaign:

  • Campaign on behalf of Cork Cyclists
  • Sent in their own submission on the proposal for this project
  • Meet first wednesday of every month at 7pm in the Bodega, Coalquay, Cork.
UK Posts

Extraordinary coalition of businesses support bold Cycle Superhighway plans

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The CEO of Microsoft UK, Michel Van Der Bel, gave his support today to the Mayor of London’s ambitious plans to build two new Cycle Superhighways. He joins an extraordinary coalition of businesses urging Boris Johnson to build the routes.

Microsoft joins over 120 employers who have sent letters of support for the Cycle Superhighways – including RBS, Unilever, Orange, Deloitte, Coca-Cola, the Financial Times, and law firms Olswang,Allen & Overy, and Herbert Smith Freehills.

Read article, but there is also opposition

Could the same thing happen for Dublin’s Quays? – see also the latest in the Irish Times

International Posts

New European Commission should maximise growth and jobs by investing in cycling

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Today the European Parliament has approved the new European Commission. ECF is particularly looking forward to working with Ms. Violeta Bulc, the new Commissioner for Transport. During her hearing in front of the European Parliament, Ms. Bulc stated that she loves nature and that she supports the polluter-pay and user-pay principles.

The European Cyclists’ Federation expects that the Slovenian Commissioner will soon present her vision on cycling as a means of transportation. Our organisation has also requested a personal meeting with the former Slovenian minister who will be in charge of transport in the EU for the next five years. Read article

Northern Ireland

NI Cycling Strategy

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Cyclist.ie has made contributions about everyday cycling strategy to the NI Assembly Regional Development sub-committee at Stormont as well as to NI Minister for DRD, Danny Kennedy MLA, and his officials.

Some members of Cyclist.ie will be attending at the public seminar on the Strategy on 16 October in Belfast.

In the ROI we are at the half-way stage with our NCPF (2009) which sets a target of 10% of everyday trips to be made by bike by 2020. The target is slipping away unless the government commits in the Budget next Tuesday to enhanced funding for cycling promotion and the establishment of a national Cycling Officer and a team of specialists based at DoTTAS to really drive the promotion of cycling for commuting for work and school, shopping, children socialising around their neighbourhoods, etc.

Draft Bicycle Strategy For Northern Ireland – August 2014