Cyclist.ie (www.cyclist.ie), the network of cycling advocacy groups, greenway development groups, and bicycle festivals on this Island, makes this Pre-Budget Submission 2018 in the interests of the Budget supporting and encouraging more active travel on a daily basis by Irish citizens, in line with the aims of the government’s ‘National Cycle Policy Framework’ (2009), ‘Smarter Travel’ (2009) and in the process improving general population health via
the ‘Healthy Ireland’ strategy (2016). Read full submission
All posts by John Dawson
Submission to DTTAS: Interventions to Grow Cycling & Improve Safety Funding Priorities
Citizens’ Assembly submission on Climate Change
Ireland and its laggardly response to impending global disaster: Full Submission
Bike safety spend flat despite deaths rise
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has allocated a “similar spend” for cycling safety promotion this year as for 2016 despite a sharp rise in deaths among cyclists in the first six months of 2017.
Submission to the Department of Transport
Cyclist.ie sent in a detailed submission to the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport today in response to its consultation on Greenways.
We want to see an extensive network of high quality Greenways built throughout Ireland, which themselves form one plank of a wider strategy of creating a safe environment for people of all ages and abilities to cycle in. This requires serious funding and leadership from Minister Ross’ Department. We need to make cycling safe and normal again!
We also stressed in our submission the importance of providing top quality Greenways and cycleways from within our cities leading out onto quieter rural roads. In the capital, this means building a safe Liffey Cycle Route, complete Greenaways alongside the Royal and Grand Canals, alongside the Dodder and Santry Rivers, and of course an East Coast Trail / Sutton to Sandycove route. We urgently also need equivalent green networks in Waterford, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Sligo.
You can read our submission here
A sincere thanks to Cyclist.ie’s super volunteers for providing input into the submission – and indeed for sending in their own submissions.
Cycling without Age
‘Cycling Without Age’ is a member group of Cyclist.ie. We received this update from Clara Clarke.
We thought you might like a brief update on our progress since we had the national launch on 13 June in Dun Laoghaire. Our sincere thanks to CWA founder Ole Kassow who came from Copenhagen, and to the DLR Cathaoirleach Cormac Devlin for ‘launching’ us. Thanks also to the Irish Ambassador to Denmark, Cliona Manahan, and to the Cultural Officer of the Danish Embassy in Dublin, Eva Rauser. Our passengers on the day were Ernie and Phyllis from Ashbury Nursing Home, Deansgrange, who quickly became celebrities!
People travelled from all over Ireland to see the bike and be part of this amazing new initiative. We have had massive media publicity both on the day and since, with radio interviews continuing. We now have three confirmed companies willing to sponsor bikes and donate them to nursing homes of their choice, with several other companies talking to us. The first sponsored bike arrived in Dublin last week. Companies will send their staff to be pilots as part of their CSR (corporate social responsibility) programmes. And what a fun way to be doing your CSR! Taking residents out for spins, chatting and sharing stories and all feeling the wind in their hair! And, if you think that cycling might be too much for older people, take a look at the ‘Convoy’ photo attached. On our trip to Denmark last week to visit Cycling Without Age there, we took a convoy of 15 rickshaw bikes with quite frail nursing home residents out for an all-day 40 km cycle – and they loved it! So, age is no limit and we just want to give as many people as possible the fun and freedom experience of Cycling Without Age.
High-tech bell allows cyclists to log incidents
Product launch of Liberty Bell from Fluidedge
See also Irish Cycle and the Sunday Business Post (paywall)
Cycling Budget Must Be Increased
From Cycling Ireland
The cycling community has lost another member to the roads. This year has seen eleven people die while cycling their bike on the road. The circumstances vary, city cycling, rural cycling, commuting, recreational cycling, day and night. This is no longer a debate about who deserves the road more, the finger pointing has to stop and a commitment from the government to an increased investment in cycling must be agreed before this number becomes twelve.
Currently less than 1% of the transport budget is spent on smarter travel – or cycling and walking. We need this to increase in order to make the roads safer and more user friendly for everybody. The Infrastructure and Capital Investment Programme for 2016-2021 was published last September, proposing that out of a €10 billion transport budget, €100 million would be spent on Smarter Travel.
Similar article in the Irish Times
Census 2016 – Travel Patterns
From the CSO – Travel patterns and car ownership
Highlights:
- Cycling up >40% (42.8%)
- Cycling nearly 5% of car commuters (56837/1152361 = 4.9%)
Bike Week
Events on all round the country
All details at Bike Week
Check out events in your area
Happy Cycling!