DCC compromise -- IrishCycle.com

Irish Cycle Facility of the Week

April 14, 2016February 17, 2014 by Cian Ginty

February 17, 2014: Dublin City Council are very supportive of cycling but only between the hours of 07:00-10:00 and 12:00-17:00, and only Monday to Saturday. The pictured cars are parked … Read more

Dublin City Council continues to put cyclists on footpaths

April 14, 2016December 11, 2013 by Cian Ginty

CrossingA — Bicycle symbols to be painted onto the footpath surface.

Despite Dublin City councillors highlighting cyclists on footpaths as an issue for many residents, the city is planning to mix cyclists and pedestrians at a busy roundabout on the South Circular Road.

The councillors say they are often contacted by residents — especially older ones — about the issue.

Councillors often complain at council meetings that the city does not do enough to stop cyclists from using footpaths. In response, officials claim the issue is purely an enforcement problem which is out of their hands, but Dublin City Council council is increasingly using designs which mix cyclists and pedestrians.

Councillors’ calls to tackle rat runs fall on deaf ears

April 14, 2016November 13, 2013 by Cian Ginty

Dublin City Council officials told councillors on Monday that the primary reason traffic calming measures are being ruled out for a residential street is because the 50km/h speed limit is not being exceeded on the short and narrow street (pictured, right).

Although the road and traffic department said it would re-examine the situation on Arnott Street in Portobello because of the large petition from residents, councillors complained that the issue was going on for too long.

Dublin City Council: Still living in fear of disrupting the car?

April 14, 2016October 28, 2013 by Cian Ginty

6801557072_f3aa27d2a6_c — South William Street (by infomatique – Creative Commons: AttributionShare Alike Some rights reserved)

Dublin City Council’s plan for the Grafton Street Quarter, released last week, is yet another example of how the city can’t take walking, cycling or civic spaces seriously. They don’t want to change traffic flows to the area — they seem to fear changing traffic.

Cycle route quality ranked low across Dublin

April 14, 2016September 16, 2013 by Cian Ginty

4816768322_f2ea70b56a — An example of narrowness and loss of priority on a cycle path in Lucan, Co Dublin (all images on this page: CID / not from report)

Existing cycle lanes and tracks across Dublin were overall ranked low as part of the draft Cycle Network Plan for the Greater Dublin Area.

The report detailing the plan highlights general issues with narrowness and loss of priority, and the access problems caused on greenways by barriers.

The current network of cycle lanes and paths were rated for their quality of service based on five criteria: surface condition; width; frequency of conflicts (ie due to parking and driveways etc); junction delay; and comfort covering proximity to other traffic and the associated sense of safety.

Planned section of Sutton to Sandycove cycleway has more needless mixing of cyclists and pedestrians

April 14, 2016February 20, 2013 by Cian Ginty

Cyclists and pedestrians kept apart at a road crossing on a greenway in Copenhagen.

Recently we questioned Why are Irish councils obsessed with mixing cyclists and pedestrians? A prime example is the planned section of the Sutton to Sandycove cycleway between Clontarf and Dollymount, and Bull Island (details here, public consultation date passed).

This is a cycle route which is supposed to — at some stage in the future — stretch from one end of Dublin Bay to the other. But even in the short term it is set to go non-stop from Sutton to at least Fairview, or East Wall Road.

It has a huge potential to offer commuters a high-quality off-road cycle route which is comfortable and gives cyclists half decent priority. But it looks as if we’re not getting that.

Why are Irish councils obsessed with mixing cyclists and pedestrians?

April 14, 2016January 29, 2013 by Cian Ginty

7015693047_544f9329dd_z — Shared use: Canal Way premium cycleway in the Docklands is interrupted by shared use at a junction.

One of the most often heard complaints about cyclists is cycling on footpaths. So, it would seem a bit like madness for the councils who design our roads and streets to continue to design space which mixes cyclists and pedestrians.

“Little or no progress” with Dublin’s complex junctions or major one-way streets says report on cycling

April 14, 2016August 17, 2012 by Cian Ginty

4691147708_64a15c4f7e_o — Cyclists travelling from Westmorland Street to O’Connell Bridge

Dublin City has seen “a definite improvement” for cycling in the last five years, an independent report says, but it warns that targets will not be met if the momentum is not stepped up. It highlights how one-way streets and large junctions are not being tackled.

The Bypad report written for Dublin City Council was finalised earlier this year, but was not reported on until now.

“The concise conclusion from the 2011 Bypad audit is that there has been a definite improvement in the quality of the cycling policy in the last 5 years which included the appointment of Ireland’s first Cycling Officer,” the report said. “However, cycling needs to be taken far more seriously as a core part of urban transport policy than it currently is.”