Belfast Cycle Budget Cut 98%, roads increase 51%. Mass Cycle Protest

Belfast Cycle Budget Cut 98%, roads increase 51%. Mass Cycle Protest, City Hall Wed 13th 1.10 sharp. Cuts have just been announced for this year reducing the cycle budget in Belfast by 98% from £450,000 down to £8,000, whilst at the same time spending on new “strategic” roads increased by 51% from £149m to £225m. This is an insult to cyclists. It is time to express your anger. Come with your bicycle and anything
to make noise, bicycle bells, whistles, etc. Continue reading Belfast Cycle Budget Cut 98%, roads increase 51%. Mass Cycle Protest

Double hit for taxpayers as NRA needs €100m bailout on toll roads

NRA get toll figures wrong by 20 to 30% – but it’s taxpayers that will pay

  • On the M3 traffic is 22% below the penalty payments level
  • Traffic is 26% below the penalty payments level on the Limerick Tunnel
  • Taxpayers face a €100m bill over the life of PPP contracts based on a scenario favourable to the NRA i.e. traffic growth assumed from 2011
  • Arrogance and naivety of the NRA shown in toll road contracts
  • NRA continues to use discredited projections in attempting to justify further motorway

The NRA’s expectation that traffic would grow rapidly has proved hopelessly inaccurate. Continue reading Double hit for taxpayers as NRA needs €100m bailout on toll roads

Bicycle Politics workshop report

There were participants from across the planet – South Africa, India, Australia, the US, Spain, Denmark, Ireland and Italy – as well as from across the UK. And they came from many walks of life – activists, students and academics, transport planners, cycle trainers and bike co-op members. What united us was a passion for cycling, and a belief that cycling can change the world. Full report

How to Get More Bicyclists on the Road

Getting people out of cars and onto bicycles, a much more sustainable form of transportation, has long vexed environmentally conscious city planners. Although bike lanes painted on streets and automobile-free “greenways” have increased ridership over the past few years, the share of people relying on bikes for transportation is still less than 2 percent, based on various studies. An emerging body of research suggests that a superior strategy to increase pedal pushing could be had by asking the perennial question: What do women want? Full article.