Latest from SouthernTrail.net
More news (graphics): here and here
But: Ross diverts Greenway funding to ‘Boxer’ Moran’s turf
Also: Work starts on Great Western Greenway expansion in Achill
Council to investigate making Barnagh Tunnel part of GST
Planning permission (part 8): upgrade to the Great Southern Trail now uploaded to Limerick City & County Council’s website
GST extension into Kerry comes closer:
3km extension of the Great Southern Trail; planning details and associated drawing
Ireland’s Cycling History – A Wonderful Story!
Paul Rouse, the noted sports historian has written this article, on cycling in Ireland, in a recent edition of the Examiner newspaper. Anyone who reads it will, I dare say, be very impressed and amazed at the grip that cycling had on the Irish psyche back in the early part of the 20th century.
The article also has wonderful and evocative images of cycling ‘events’ over the years. As we arrive next year in 2017 at the 200th anniversary of the invention of the bike, articles such as this will help us to appreciate how far the simple bicycle has come … and gone … in its development, and in our culture.
Sit back and Enjoy the Ride!
Some presentations from this conference; more information
The figures, released at a press conference in Dublin this morning, show that 1,296 cars in Dublin have been recorded breaking a red light so far in 2016 – 24 times the rate of cyclists caught breaking red lights (54) in the same period.
In response to a question from TheJournal.ie, Garda Superintendent Tom Murphy said zero pedestrians have died in collision with a cyclist, but he said one has been seriously injured.
Cyclist.ie has a new working group examining how to integrate rail and cycling better. We want to see far higher quality cycle parking at all Irish rail stations, easier carriage of bicycles on trains and clearer information on how this can be done. We are inspired by the policies and practices of train operators abroad who really value their cycling and rail customers! Even simple interventions like giant bicycle logos at appropriate spots on carriages can make a difference – as shown in the photo above from Denmark!
The working group includes representatives from Cyclist.ie, Kilkenny Cycling Campaign, Maynooth Cycling Campaign and Cycling Ireland. The next of our regular meetings with Irish Rail will take place on Thu 20th October (afternoon).
We are now seeking a new volunteer (or several) from the wider cycling community who can help us prepare for these meetings. We would really like to hear from you if you are a regular train user – and cyclist – and have thought carefully about how Irish Rail could better accommodate its cycling customers. The ideal volunteer will have some knowledge of how progressive systems abroad work in terms of combining bike and rail, and/or can help us carry out research on this topic. We would also love to hear from you if you have specialised transport or mechanical engineering knowledge, since some of the discussions on the potential for retrofitting existing Irish Rail rolling stock can be quite technical. Even better still if the volunteer can take time out to come to meetings with us!
Please email the National Cycling Coordinator ASAP if you can help out (and ideally by Fri 14th October). Thank you.
Following a series of cyclist fatalities and a lack of investment in cycling infrastructure, when activists called for their brothers and sisters on two wheels to turn out at a protest they couldn’t have imagined the reaction they’d get …
Read article; see also: [btnsx id=”5197″]
Planning, design and construction work is ongoing on a number of cycle routes in the mid-west and south-west areas of Co Dublin, a reply from South Dublin County Council to Cllr Dermot Looney has confirmed.
Cllr Looney (independent) said: “Following recent media reports, I sought an update on the progress on various cycle schemes in South Dublin County.”
Think the M7 widening project will ease Kildare’s traffic? Don’t believe the hype
The pandemic of physical inactivity is associated with a range of chronic diseases and early deaths. Despite the well documented disease burden, the economic burden of physical inactivity remains unquantified at the global level. A better understanding of the economic burden could help to inform resource prioritisation and motivate efforts to increase levels of physical activity worldwide.
Full article in the Lancet (registration required, but FOC)
A national Greenway cycling route would cost the same as a few kilometres of motorway, and transform how tourists and locals travel through the country. Read article
