It’s often said that signs are cluttering Dublin’s streets but one sign in particular is doted all over part of the Shelbourne Road and some side streets in Ballsbridge — no bicycle parking signs.
“There’s a theme developing or emerging around the Pembroke area where businesses or somebody is putting out a sign to say don’t park your bike here and there may not be bike racks to park your bike,” said Cllr Claire O’Connor (FF).
The city councillor questioned the no bicycle parking signs erected in Dublin 4, especially near a new building where there was no on-street bicycle parking installed.
At the South East Area Committee meeting last month, she said: “One place I’m thinking of is Avoca [Ballsbridge Food Market] in Pembroke. There’s signs there right across the street saying don’t park your bike here. It’s kind of like saying cyclists are not welcome.”
Cllr O’Connor asked what is the status of the signs and why businesses might be putting them up.
When IrishCycle.com visited the area on July 6 there was a large number of no bicycle parking signs on both sides of the road — including at least four on one side and seven signs on the east side of the road and a side street.
The signs include those which are attached to Dublin City Council speed limit signs on the east side of the road and a sign which states “it is prohibited to park bicycles in this area” is posted beside what seems to be the public footpath on the west side of the road.
No bicycle parking signs can are sometimes seen as an issue with a lack of designated parking and sometimes as a positive sign that there is demand for bicycle parking. Such signs are can be seen on some shop windows in Dungarvan town and, are very common in busy Dutch town and city centres.
While D4 isn’t at Dutch levels of cycling just yet there’s clearly was some demand with bicycles outside shops and cafés at around 11am last Thursday morning.
The Avoca Ballsbridge Food Market is located in a relatively new building development, Number One Ballsbridge, but there is no public bicycle parking stands outside. There are some bicycle racks across the road but these seem to be well-used and may be unable to handle all of the bicycles parked on the west side of the road at busy times.
IrishCycle.com asked Dublin City Council a number of questions, including if such bicycle parking wasn’t a requirement of the planning permission, why wasn’t it (For clarity: IrishCycle.com has not been able to find the planning file for the development and, in any case, no wrong doing is implied here).
Dublin City Council did not respond to a number of requests for comment, with the first one in the middle of last month.
IrishCycle.com also attempted to seek comment from the management of the Number One Ballsbridge buildings, the Comer Group, but no response was received before publication even after repeated attempts to contact the company since June 6.
Number One Ballsbridge, which is a development of two large buildings featuring retailers and offices, fronts out onto Shelbourne Road, and to a lesser extent onto Pembroke Road. As well as Avoca, the development hosts a number of businesses including the Government’s National Oil Reserves Agency, Butlers Chocolate Café, The Park Café, software company MongoDB, financial services company Waystone, digital marketing agency Frank & Bear, Eden One spa, and The Art of Coffee.
Across the road, on Crampton Avenue, a private road which acts as access to office buildings and apartments, there is also a large number of no bicycle parking signs.
The only company name visible was on the signs of the Shelburne Building, a new development which is accessed via Crampton Avenue. But the company that is named on the Shelburne Building’s sign, IPUT, a commercial property company, said it did not have responsibility for Crampton Avenue.
IPUT said: “We would like to clarify that Crampton Avenue is not owned by IPUT. It is owned by Campton Ltd and managed by JLL on their behalf.” The statement added: “IPUT is committed to promoting cycling as a sustainable means of transportation, with its Wilton Park neighbouring development featuring 178 bike spaces.”
Compared to the 178 bicycle spaces, the office block only has 44 car parking spaces. It also features 17 showers and “extensive end-of-trip facilities”.
Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) did not respond to a request for comment made via its website before this article was published.
Given the lack of legal status of the signs, I’d just park anyway, albeit not in such a way as to block the footpath.
Is it legal to cut a lock on a bike that isn’t blocking an access route? Could be criminal damage. You can’t just clamp cars, and you’d have to give people a way to get their bikes back too.
Strange that no one will admit to putting the signs up. Best way for an answer would be to ask building security if they’d remove locks or if they know who they’d call. But that wouldn’t be quotable, AFAIK.
Complain that the signs arw in English only.
Thanks Cian for highlighting this issue as it is one I posted about on Twitter within a few days of the appearance of the signs at ‘One Ballsbridge’ in 2022.
However I should point out that the signs are on metal tree cages on private property, although within the new public realm there.
The public pavement is delineated from the private concourse along Shelbourne Rd. by a brass strip.
The key question is for the City Planners: why was a development like this with restaurants, cafés and food store granted permission with no bike parking around these trip generators?
Bike parking for these retail outlets should not be in an underground car park reserved for staff.
Good to learn that local Cllrs are on the case. The provision of bike parking should not fall to the City to install.
There has to be public realm gain.
If such signs are erected on a public road without permission of the local authority, it is an offence under the Roads Act 1993.
Looking at the pics it’s a private road not council so they seem to allow no parking of either cars or bicycles going by the private clamping service sign.
I was attending a match in the Aviva (the same general location as above). Came back and my bike was gone. I went looking and found the thief. It was a security guard in the building (I had locked the bike on its railings). The arrogant little **** demanded 40 euros to give my bike back to me. Clearly theft and extortion. So, I went to Garda station. They said “oh no not him again.” They said they had warned him before that cutting my lock was criminal damage, but wouldn’t arrest him for the clear case of theft and extortion, which I still maintain they should have. They called down and made the arrogant little **** give my bike back to me.I phoned the security company and demanded they gave me 60 euros for a new lock. They did this, but it wa obvious they couldnt care less (just buying me off).We need the Guards to prosecute such thief’s.
I say, Park your bike. Those signs have no legal status. Dont be bullied. Sue the security company or the property’s management company if they steal your bike and the Guards wont prosecute them.
Re: “it’s a private road not council” I wonder if they expect DCC to maintain public areas of the road then? I’d bet they do. Boycott business at this spot if they support this anti-bike campaign.