NEW RESEARCH carried out on behalf of the Department of Transport has indicated that 10 per cent of all journeys here will be undertaken by bicycle by 2020.
Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey has reported that international cycling consultants, hired by his department as part of a national cycling policy study, have outlined the “prospect of a vibrant culture of cycling” in Ireland within the next 12 years.
“In 2006, the modal share enjoyed by cycling stood at just 2 per cent. Increasing the modal share to just 10 per cent would move as many people on to bikes as the public transport element of Transport 21 could accommodate,” said Mr Dempsey, who also encouraged cyclists to be as vocal as the “well-organised motoring lobby”.
Mr Dempsey was speaking at the annual lecture of the Dublin Cycling Campaign in Trinity College last night and said he hoped to be able to formulate a national cycling policy later in the year.
In late February, public consultation on the issue of sustainable travel and transport was initiated.
The Minister said more than 400 responses had been submitted, with a substantial number of these coming not only from cycling groups but from members of the public who strongly supported the promotion of cycling.
The Governments action plan on sustainable travel and transport “that will emerge later this year, will include support for, and promotion of, cycling as one of its key commitments”, he added.
Mr Dempsey also said an environmentally friendly workplace travel initiative for staff at his department would be rolled out for all Government departments.
Meanwhile, before last night’s lecture, Dr John Parkin of the school of the built environment and engineering at the University of Bolton, told The Irish Times that a “truly permeable network” for cycle traffic needed to be created in Irish and British cities.
This would encourage bicycle use and would help people to steer around urban areas quickly and safely.
Mr Parkin said good value-for-money measures to do so would include: an exemption for cyclists from turn left/right restrictions; allowing a cycle contra-flow on one-way streets; converting bridges for both pedestrian and cycle use; the erection of visibly clear route signs for cyclists and the creation of off-highway shortcuts.
The former civil engineer also suggested that strong policies needed to be formulated to support existing one-car households – “who may see the bike as the equivalent of the second car” – to discourage the need to purchase another vehicle.
Previously, there was a perception that the bicycle was the poor man’s mode of transport, Mr Parkin added, but now in England and Wales, the socio-economic class with the higher prevalence of cycling was the higher professional group.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Showing posts with label cycling planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cycling planning. Show all posts
Friday, 16 May 2008
Sunday, 30 December 2007
Phoenix Park bicycle hire service put out to tender
The Office of Public Works has invited tenders for a bicycle hire service in the Phoenix Park, as part of plans to develop a network of "cycle-friendly" and "cycle-only" lanes within the 1,700-acre demesne.
The Phoenix Park is the largest enclosed urban park in Europe.
The tender, which was advertised on the Government's e-tendering website this week, follows a pilot project in the park last summer.
There are currently 24km of cycle routes in the Phoenix Park and, according to the OPW, and this is to be extended by about 18km over the coming year.
A spokesman said the intention was that bicycles could be hired for a minimum of two hours and a maximum of a half- day, but the OPW was prepared to be flexible in its approach.
"We were very pleased with a pilot project run by McQuaid's cycles last summer and we would like to encourage more families to take up cycling in a safe environment in the park," said a spokesman.
The OPW plan is in line with the Dublin Transportation Office strategy of encouraging people to walk or cycle. According to recent research carried out by the transport body, 52 per cent of people use their car as their most frequent mode of transport.
The research also found:
• 40 per cent of car owners don't consider any transport options other than the car;
• 27 per cent of respondents said the car was preferable for short journeys of a mile or less;
• Almost half of all car owners (47 per cent) take their car on these short journeys;
• 55 per cent of short journey car users said they were unlikely to consider walking instead, and
• Only 3 per cent of these short journey car users said they were very likely to consider walking for short journeys of a mile or less, instead of using the car.
However, under a recent traffic management plan for the Phoenix Park, restrictions to private car use are to be put in place.
A number of roads have already been made one way or turned into cul-de-sacs in a bid to reduce vehicle short-cutting.
The OPW is also currently in discussions with Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus about allowing the companies to divert some of their longer-distance services through the park, possibly at peak times.
Also under consideration is an OPW "own bus service", which would travel a circuitous route from Heuston Station through the park.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The Phoenix Park is the largest enclosed urban park in Europe.
The tender, which was advertised on the Government's e-tendering website this week, follows a pilot project in the park last summer.
There are currently 24km of cycle routes in the Phoenix Park and, according to the OPW, and this is to be extended by about 18km over the coming year.
A spokesman said the intention was that bicycles could be hired for a minimum of two hours and a maximum of a half- day, but the OPW was prepared to be flexible in its approach.
"We were very pleased with a pilot project run by McQuaid's cycles last summer and we would like to encourage more families to take up cycling in a safe environment in the park," said a spokesman.
The OPW plan is in line with the Dublin Transportation Office strategy of encouraging people to walk or cycle. According to recent research carried out by the transport body, 52 per cent of people use their car as their most frequent mode of transport.
The research also found:
• 40 per cent of car owners don't consider any transport options other than the car;
• 27 per cent of respondents said the car was preferable for short journeys of a mile or less;
• Almost half of all car owners (47 per cent) take their car on these short journeys;
• 55 per cent of short journey car users said they were unlikely to consider walking instead, and
• Only 3 per cent of these short journey car users said they were very likely to consider walking for short journeys of a mile or less, instead of using the car.
However, under a recent traffic management plan for the Phoenix Park, restrictions to private car use are to be put in place.
A number of roads have already been made one way or turned into cul-de-sacs in a bid to reduce vehicle short-cutting.
The OPW is also currently in discussions with Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus about allowing the companies to divert some of their longer-distance services through the park, possibly at peak times.
Also under consideration is an OPW "own bus service", which would travel a circuitous route from Heuston Station through the park.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Monday, 16 April 2007
HGVs and 'hideous driver behaviour' to blame as cycle tourists stay away in droves
THE number of cycling tourists coming to Ireland has dropped by more than 50% in five years as visitors are put off by bad roads and aggressive drivers, the Sunday Tribunehas learned.
Official figures from Fáilte Ireland show that in the year 2000, 130,000 people came to Ireland to cycle around the country. By 2005, this figure had dropped to just 60,000.
This dramatic decrease in what is seen as a niche market for Irish tourism prompted Fáilte Ireland to employ a specialised planning consultancy firm to advise on how to improve cycle facilities around the country. Last week, Buchanan Cycling submitted a report that plans for 2,500 miles of signed cycling routes running from the Donegal coast through Galway, Cork and Dublin.
"Cycle tourism is a really important part of the industry, " said Damien Ó Tuama, principal cycle planning consultant with Buchanan Cycling. "It's a niche market. We can't offer low prices, or sun holidays. But this, we should be able to do."
"We used a MORI survey of cyclists to investigate why there was such a drop off in numbers.
The 1,000 cyclists interviewed said that the high numbers of HGVs on the roads, the lack of dedicated cycling networks and hideous driver behaviour all combined to make Ireland an undesirable location to come on a cycling holiday."
The Buchanan report focuses on using alternatives to main traffic thoroughfares around the country to create cycle-friendly routes.
"One example would be an old Galway railway line that runs all the way from NUIG out to Connemara.
It's a really cool, love ly cycle route, and it means cyclists won't have to negotiate the road out through Spiddal, which is a cyclist's nightmare, " said Ó Tuama.
"We also need to look at the cities. Reducing the speed of cars in the city would be a big step towards making it more cycle friendly. We would recommend a speed of 30kmh. We also need to get the HGVs out of the city centre;
75% of cyclist fatalities in Ireland involve a heavy goods vehicle. And we need to start making some radical decisions, like giving up one lane of tra ffic to make room fo r cyclists."
Some work is being done around Dublin to make the city more bicycle accessible. One major oversight by the city council was not including any cycle lanes when planning the rejuvenation of O 'Connell St.
But now, just as all the work on the street has finished, it appears the council has decided to rectify that problem. A report submitted to the council last month proposes to extend cycle facilities over the full length of O'Connell St, on both sides of the road. The report also recommends new cycle lanes on Parnell St and Gardiner St.
Sunday Tribune
Official figures from Fáilte Ireland show that in the year 2000, 130,000 people came to Ireland to cycle around the country. By 2005, this figure had dropped to just 60,000.
This dramatic decrease in what is seen as a niche market for Irish tourism prompted Fáilte Ireland to employ a specialised planning consultancy firm to advise on how to improve cycle facilities around the country. Last week, Buchanan Cycling submitted a report that plans for 2,500 miles of signed cycling routes running from the Donegal coast through Galway, Cork and Dublin.
"Cycle tourism is a really important part of the industry, " said Damien Ó Tuama, principal cycle planning consultant with Buchanan Cycling. "It's a niche market. We can't offer low prices, or sun holidays. But this, we should be able to do."
"We used a MORI survey of cyclists to investigate why there was such a drop off in numbers.
The 1,000 cyclists interviewed said that the high numbers of HGVs on the roads, the lack of dedicated cycling networks and hideous driver behaviour all combined to make Ireland an undesirable location to come on a cycling holiday."
The Buchanan report focuses on using alternatives to main traffic thoroughfares around the country to create cycle-friendly routes.
"One example would be an old Galway railway line that runs all the way from NUIG out to Connemara.
It's a really cool, love ly cycle route, and it means cyclists won't have to negotiate the road out through Spiddal, which is a cyclist's nightmare, " said Ó Tuama.
"We also need to look at the cities. Reducing the speed of cars in the city would be a big step towards making it more cycle friendly. We would recommend a speed of 30kmh. We also need to get the HGVs out of the city centre;
75% of cyclist fatalities in Ireland involve a heavy goods vehicle. And we need to start making some radical decisions, like giving up one lane of tra ffic to make room fo r cyclists."
Some work is being done around Dublin to make the city more bicycle accessible. One major oversight by the city council was not including any cycle lanes when planning the rejuvenation of O 'Connell St.
But now, just as all the work on the street has finished, it appears the council has decided to rectify that problem. A report submitted to the council last month proposes to extend cycle facilities over the full length of O'Connell St, on both sides of the road. The report also recommends new cycle lanes on Parnell St and Gardiner St.
Sunday Tribune
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