All posts by Will

Hi, I'm a Dubliner, an architect, and an advocate for liveable cities.
Irish Posts

Oireachtas All-Party Cycling Group Bike Week Cycle

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We had a super turnout of supporters of cycling from the Dáil, Seanad and beyond at the annual Oireachtas spin.

It’s almost become a tradition now for Oireachtas members to ride around Dublin to celebrate Bike Week and the joys of cycling.

It’s a great way for us to catch up with Oireachtas members who appreciate how good cycling is for mental and physical health, how it offers real economic opportunities, and how it can help restore local and global environments.

(L to R) Senators Maria Sherlock and Gerard Horken, cycle organiser Ivana Bacik TD (Mike McKillen)

Ivana Bacik TD (Lab), Lynn Boylan TD (SF), Richard Bruton TD (FG), Patrick Costello (GP), Senator Roisin Garvey (GP), Senator Gerard Horken (FF), Senator Alice-Mary Higgins (Ind), Pauline O’Reilly TD (GP),  Darren O’Rourke (SF) Senator Marie Sherlock (Lab), were members who made time to bike and chat.

We were very grateful to Ivana and staff for gathering the All-Party group and organising the event, in cooperation with our hard-working Irish Cycling Campaign Vice-chair, Dave Tobin. Also a shout-out to Dublin Cycling Campaign members who came along.

‘Great to see Bike Week uniting the likes of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the Greens, Labour, Sinn Féin and others, and for once no-one competing for first place!’

– Dave Tobin

Top photo courtesy of Ivana’s office. More images, courtesy of Mike McKillen – https://www.flickr.com/photos/65436171@N00/albums/72177720316968403/

Irish Posts

Our ‘Ban Car Ads’ Initiative Moves Forward

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The Irish Cycling Campaign’s initiative to prohibit or reduce fossil fuel advertising has moved forward a significant step with today’s Earth Day promotion by Paul Murphy TD of his Bill.

Deputy Murphy’s Bill was initially published last month. It seeks to prohibit the advertising of any fossil fuels, and any land vehicle or aircraft using fossil fuel. The way our transport system is skewed towards the use of cars, the dominance of our roads by car use, and the huge health detriments of our sedentary lifestyle and chronic car dependence are all worsened by advertising.

To quote Deputy Murphy, ‘Once you start to notice it, it is striking just how much car advertising there is: how many advertisements you see on TV are for cars; how many billboards are for car advertisements; and how much sponsorship of popular TV programmes, such as “The Late Late Show”, is from car manufacturers. There is evidence this has a direct link to the lack of media coverage of climate change, a topic, for example, that “The Late Late Show” has barely covered in all its years of showcasing shiny new cars. Last year in Ireland the number of new fossil-fuelled cars increased by 10% to more than 99,000’.

So some restriction on the ability of the motor industry to spend tens of millions in the Irish market would bring huge benefits to society. Action is long overdue.

The Bill’s already passed the first stage in the Oireachtas and received significant news coverage, such as the following:

  1. Newstalk article gives an overview — https://www.newstalk.com/news/time-for-tobacco-style-ban-on-fossil-fuel-car-advertisements-pbp-1651055 
  2. RTÉ interview about it (17 mins) – https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22366061/ 
  3. Public poll in Journal.ie (Bill wasn’t very popular!): https://www.thejournal.ie/should-there-be-a-ban-on-fossil-fuel-advertising-6320804-Mar2024/ 

Attending the press release at Buswells Hotel today was (centre of photograph) the Campaign’s Board Member Mary Sinnott, who worked to bring the issue to the attention of Deputy Murphy and team, filmmaker and activist Peadar King and Dr. Seán Owens, whose campaigning work focusses on the devastating effects of climate change on public health. Deputy Bríd Smith is on the far left, beside Deputy Murphy.

We understand that Sinn Féin also have a Bill, promoted by Senator Lynn Boylan aimed at restricting fossil fuel lobbying and (as an apolitical advocacy group) the Campaign will be glad to work with any body seeking to improve our transport choices, improve road safety, reduce air and noise pollution, and of course to limit climate change.

Reflecting on the Bill, Mary told the press conference,

‘Irish road transportation contributes 94% of transport-related greenhouse gases.Restricting fossil fuel product advertising will rebalance consumer choice towards sustainable modes of transport. It will reflect our national commitment to reduce our CO2 emissions by 2030, and to phase them out by 2050. Those committments we are already behind on.’

Mary quoted the poem “Begin” by Brendan Kenneally:

Though we live in a world that dreams of ending
that always seems about to give in
something that will not acknowledge conclusion
insists that we forever begin

Irish Posts

Engineers Ireland support the push for sustainable transport

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There was a very heartening event last week.

Established professional body Engineers Ireland hosted a progressive, forward-looking conference aimed at informing their members – civil and structural engineers especially – about Ireland’s current surge towards more sustainable, healthy transport.

(Below) Can Ginty compares modal share over distance in Netherlands

While the provision of safe, segregated infrastructure is definitely an engineering problem, Ireland faces several other barriers in reducing car dependence and GHG emissions from transport. It was great to see presentations on policy, on transport funding, and on simply walking.

It was really inspiring and encouraging to see everyone from Finola O’Driscoll of the NTA through experts Professor Brian Caulfield and Dr. Lorraine d’Arcy, and even Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail, to outstanding cycling advocate Cian Ginty all agreeing on how we need to shift modes of transport to healthier, cleaner, cheaper forms.

Denise Keogan gave the Department of Transport’s overview – to halve CO2 emissions by 2030 (compared to 2018 levels) we’ll need to double active travel rates. Progress is good but, according to Prof. Caulfield of TCD, our focus on electric cars is misplaced and we need to ramp up efforts dramatically if we’re to get near our targets.

(Above) Denise Keogan outlines Government policies

A few of the highlights we took away were… 

• 50% GHG reduction by 2030 is a big … big ask. But we’re making real progress: Rural Link is only one of several strong initiatives

• Gender audits should be part of every plan and proposal

• Cycle parking in train stations is way cheaper than giving space for bikes on trains (lesson from the Netherlands)

• 35% of road GHG’s is from National roads

• Cycling will only do the ‘heavy lifting’ of modal shift in denser, urban areas

• Donald Shoup’s seminal resaerch on parking is worth a read.