Electronic bicycle counters installed by Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council have recorded a 20% year-on-year increase in cycling on key routes across the council’s area.
The council said last week that it was “delighted to announce” the increase, while the council’s ‘Cycle Champion’, Cllr Gerry Horkan, the, said: “Overall, the increase in the number of people cycling highlights the great work being done by the Council staff in improving cycle facilities throughout the County”.
The announcement comes with the release of a report, Cycle Counter Statistics 2012 – 2013, which covers details of the data contained from the cycle counters.
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There are 11 single directional counters embedded in roads and cycle paths across the county, these locations are on the N11, the Rock Road, Road Road Park, Clonskeagh Road and the Metals greenway. Four of these have “Totems” or display units above ground.
The council data shows an increase of 18% in cyclists on 3 key routes going into the city and an increase of 21% in cyclists outbound from the city. It also shows that Clonskeagh Road has the highest number of cyclists with a daily average of 781 cyclists heading into the city along the route while over 400 cyclists use the Rock Road and N11 cycle routes daily.
A 50% increase on the Rock Road Park has been linked with a contra-flow project in Blackrock, the report says: “This route through Blackrock Parks appears to be well used with a large increase in cycle numbers between 2012 and 2013. The introduction of the contra flow cycle track on Newtown Avenue in 2012 that allows cyclists to go from Blackrock to Seapoint Avenue along a low traffic route may have contributed to this increase.”
The 50% increase was likely also helped by the removal of a barrier at one end of the park, as we highlighted last year.
The county Cycling Officer Gerry Flaherty said: “The Council’s long term aim is to promote cycling as a healthy fun travel option for short trips and we believe that the figures released today demonstrate that we are making good progress in this regard.”
The council said it was pushing a range of cycling initiatives including: “The provision of cycle training in schools; the preparation of cycling leaflets that show cycle friendly routes (such as the Sandyford Cycle Route, The Slang River Greenway, the Metals Cycle Route, the Loughlinstown Cycle Route and the Blackrock Cycle Route); the preparation of a County Wide Cycle Map that will help cyclists plan their routes when cycling in the County; improved cycle routes such as that proposed to link the Dart Line and the Green Luas line via UCD and the provision of increased bicycle parking spaces (there are now approximately 1,100 cycle parking spaces available to cyclists in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown).”
MORE: Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Cycle Counter Statistics 2012 – 2013 (PDF)
They need to extend the Contra flow from Newton Avenue up to the Cross in Blackrock Village and make it two way,narrow the road . This would be a big improvement ,also if they put in a segregated Cycleway all the way up to Dunlaoghaire from Newton Avenue. Joining up the route all the way from Blackrock to Marine Road would make a great facility.