Ryan says bicycles on Luas not a policy issue after he replaced Government policy which said it was

In one of his last acts as Minister for Transport before being replaced, Eamon Ryan’s office approved a parliamentary answer that claimed carrying bicycles on Luas isn’t a policy issue.

Ryan was responsible for replacing the Government policy of supporting full-sized bicycles on trams at off-peak times with that policy removed. Folding bicycles are allowed on trams at all times.

The parliamentary answer was published last Wednesday, January 22nd, just ahead of the new Government being formed and ahead of Darragh O’Brien replacing Ryan.

In a written question, a TD for Dún Laoghaire, Barry Ward (Fine Gael), asked: “To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will take steps to ensure that bicycles may be carried on the Luas; and if he will make a statement on the matter.”

The written answer, in then-Minister Ryan’s name, said: “As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport.”

The reply added: “The issue raised by the Deputy in relation to bicycles on the Luas is a matter for Transdev. Therefore, I have referred the Deputy’s question to Transdev for direct response to the Deputy. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.”

While the private company Transdev operates the Luas, it does so for Transport Infrastructure Ireland, which effectively manages the Luas operation contract on behalf of the National Transport Authority (NTA). The NTA says on its website that it is “a statutory non-commercial body, which operates under the aegis of the Department of Transport.”

The Government’s 2009-2020 National Cycle Policy Framework had said: “We will provide for the carriage of bikes on LUAS when services are of a frequency and at a capacity that allows for it. i.e. when it is considered possible to carry bikes on carriages when they do not interfere with the capacity for pedestrians.”

In a forward message in the policy document, the transport minister in 2009, Noel Dempsey, said: “A key lesson that we have learned in producing Ireland’s First National Cycle Policy Framework is that no single action will prompt people to cycle. That is why this policy framework outlines a comprehensive package of interventions to make cycling not only easier but safer too.”

A similar policy for Irish Rail was acted on, and bicycles were allowed on off-peak Dart and Commuter trains. But officials at Transport Infrastructure Ireland blocked claiming there would be safety issues.

While the National Transport Authority has not been central to the bicycle ban on Luas it is understood that the authority is actively involved in the planned ban of bicycles on MetroLink. The off-peak carriage of bicycles on metro lines is nearly universal across Europe and much of the world.

The change in Government policy also removed the commitment to carry bicycles on metro lines.

Similar safety issues were cited in the UK, but Transport for Edinburgh, the transport authority in Edinburgh, now allows bicycles on trams off-peak after a trial in 2015 that found “there was little to no impact on daily operations”. Last year, the Greater Manchester transport authority, Transport for Greater Manchester, also started a trial of bicycles on trams.

Bicycles are also allowed on trams in cities in France where the same type of tram is used as Luas.

The National Cycle Policy Framework was removed when the Government replaced its old overall mobility policy called ‘Smarter Travel’ with a new policy called the ‘National Sustainable Mobility Policy’.

The new policy said: “The Policy builds on and replaces existing active travel and public transport policy as set out in the 2009 policy documents – Smarter Travel: A Sustainable Transport Future and the National Cycle Policy Framework.”

However, the move removed a number of clear policies, including firm targets for cycling modal share.

In an interview with IrishCycle.com, before he left office, Ryan defended the removal of the cycling target. He said: “We felt that we’ve issued all these targets and widely ignored, so was the target setting the key metric? In my mind, the focus was on getting the budget, getting the right people in place, getting whatever legislative or other changes you need to facilitate them.”

He added: “To a certain extent, the targets will come from the climate targets that we have. Every local authority this February will have to present their own local climate action plan, and there’s lots of targets there. We can’t meet our decarbonization targets without a radical change in the transport system.”

1 thought on “Ryan says bicycles on Luas not a policy issue after he replaced Government policy which said it was”

  1. Why not organise a Luas bike demo day with a few bikes brought on board off peak? Then ask for views of passengers on safety, inconvenience and all of that….

    Reply

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