Cyclist.ie’s newest member group, Drogheda Cycling, has penned the following piece outlining why it came into being and what it is focusing on. Welcome on board!

Hello, Noel Hogan here. I’m the Chairperson of the newly formed Drogheda Cycling group. The group first came into existence as a twitter account (@droghedacycling) before being established as a proper organisation earlier this year. 

Growing up in the 1980s/90s in Ennis in County Clare, bicycles were our ticket to greater freedom. No longer did we need the mammy taxi to bring us to places far away. Looking at my own six year old, I realised that – if something wasn’t done – his childhood would be robbed of this sense of freedom. This led me to reach out to others who wanted to create a safe environment for cyclists (and others) in Drogheda, and this group is the result. 

Our aims are to create a safe environment for cycling in and around Drogheda and to raise the awareness of cycling for all as a practical alternative to car use. Like many towns around Ireland, it would be fair to say Drogheda is not a cycling friendly town – busy roads, a lack of cycling friendly infrastructure – but much the same was said of many European cities until quite recently. I really think Drogheda is primed for a renaissance and our group is going to play a major part in making it a more pleasant, liveable town for everyone.

Our focus this year is to establish and grow our group – we have made submissions to Louth County Council regarding the planned active travel routes for the town and have recently held our first community cycle. We believe that we must be the change we seek – and having regular family friendly cycles is one way to demonstrate the benefits of cycling to all (and being part of Cyclist.ie is a great help in this regard). We hope to broaden our engagement with stakeholders and gain more community support as the year goes on. 

One of the great things about Cyclist.ie is that it allows you to engage with other like minded groups – here in Drogheda we have been happy to engage with the Navan Cycling Initiative and hope to further our engagement as time goes on. It really helps when you can learn how others have approached engaging with local authorities and other stakeholders. 

You can contact Drogheda Cycling via:

Email – [email protected]
Twitter – @droghedacycling
Facebook – /Drogheda-Cycling-102975298149028