Feedback is requested before CyclingForAll.ie reignites ahead of 2024 local and European Parliament elections.
CyclingForAll.ie calls on existing politicians and candidates to sign up for space for cycling infrastructure, better standards, and 20% of the overall transport infrastructure budget to be spent on walking and cycling projects.
What changes do you think should be made ahead of that? Do you have any suggestions on how it could be even more effective than before? Please comment below or email cian.ginty@gmail.com.
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I would go further 20percent walking 20 percent cycling 40 percent public transport then 20 percent for roads
Current budgets for walking and cycling and public transport infrastructure need to be urgently investigated.
It is obvious to anyone that anything that has been done, to date, is largely piecemeal, rarely inconveniences motorised vehicles and gives little or no priority to public transport.
I suggest lobby groups create teams that are wholly dedicated to constantly tracking and exposing expenditure on the aforementioned via freedom of information legislation.
Beside the important funding issue, I would like to see the verges being maintained in rural area, including national roads to make cycling safer. In many places (thorny) vegetation grows up to 50 cm into the road space, not mention the area next to it. Commuting also happens and needs to happen outside of urban areas with dedicated cycling infrastructure!
Work on legal end so councils have permission to pilot projects and do it quickly, instead of laborious planning process. That way councils can try more pedestrian/cycling projects – see how they’re working, observe, collect the data, and refine as needed. See DLR who are at least creating infrastructure.
Your thing, Cian, which is design for change, not in response to what’s currently happening. Particularly the creation of separate routes for different road users.
Expand Quiet Roads networks through e.g., filtering. Belmont Ave for example is still a rat-run southwards.
Also much more data is needed to assess stuff like:-
– actual usage of routes
– when do cyclists break reds? cycle on footpaths? what are the logical reasons behind this behaviour, offer fixes to the underlying reason
– desire lines
– how in practice do pedestrians & cyclists ‘share’ space
– Aswell as the 20%, it should have to conform to best practices – not just resurfacing the entire road and painting a line with a bike symbol on it
– Junctions with minor should also conform to best practices, with bike lanes continuing through, instead of having to yield
– need commitments to connect lanes together. One reason motorists may be right about ‘expensive bike lanes being unused’ is because they may only exist for a few hundred metres, and we won’t let our kids use them because everywhere else is so dangerous
– Would like commitments by media never to use the term “road tax” and or mention cyclists and red lights when discussing something entirely different
– Rural cycling is awful – need protected cycle lanes here too. Most main roads have plenty of space for it.