All posts by John Dawson

Dublin traffic plan proposes banning cars from key city streets

Cars will be banned from key streets in Dublin city centre in a radical new transport plan to make the capital more cycle and pedestrian friendly.

Some €150m is to be spent over the next eight years on shutting areas such as College Green, Westmoreland Street, Suffolk Street and Bachelors Walk to motorists.

The proposals are part of the Dublin City Centre Transport Study, launched today by The National Transport Authority and Dublin City Council. Read article

Galway-Dublin Greenway

The Galway to Dublin Cycleway will be the first inter-city greenway in a proposed national network. Stretching 276 km from coast to coast, this will be a world-class amenity for families, communities and tourists to enjoy, providing a cross-country route away from busy roads. From west to east the route passes through counties Galway, Roscommon, Westmeath, Meath, Kildare and Dublin. It will travel by rivers and through woods, along a disused railway line and old canal paths, and on well-signed, purpose-built cycle paths, offering rural tranquillity in a safe and traffic-free environment to everyone who uses it. Work on the cycleway commenced in 2013 with funding from the NRA and in collaboration with the local authorities. For more information see our website and map

5 great Irish cycles

Mind the Mayo tornadoes

On our first trip to Co Mayo we hired bikes and cycled part of the Great Western Greenway, a 38km round trip from Mulrany village to Achill town. My six-year-old – “a big boy now” – wanted his own bike; it was a long cycle for young kids but so much fun. We stopped for drinks and snacks along the way and enjoyed beautiful scenery. We had our packed lunch in a picnic area in Achill town, followed by a 99 from SuperValu. Read more

London commuters arriving stressed and late – unless they travel by bike

A poll of over 5,500 commuters across five major European cities has found that London commuters are late for work more often than those in any other major European city. This is despite a quarter setting off half an hour early each day in an attempt to guard against this. The majority of the city’s commuters also rated their daily travel as being more stressful than moving house. Read article

Four in five disqualified drivers holding on to licences

Almost four out of five drivers disqualified in court are failing to surrender their licence, figures from the Road Safety Authority (RSA) show.

These figures also show some disqualified drivers are continuing to drive and to commit motoring offences while they should be serving the six-month driving disqualification.

According to the RSA, 9,611 drivers were disqualified in court between October 29th, 2013 (when the RSA took over responsibility for driving licences) and a further 476 received disqualifications for accumulating 12 penalty points.

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Man given 6½-year sentence for causing death of cyclist

A 23-year-old man has been sentenced to six and a half years for dangerous driving causing the death of a 42-year old cyclist near Killarney.

Shane Fitzgerald of Knockeen, Meelin, Newmarket, Co Cork, had denied the charge of dangerous driving causing the death of father-of-four Paudie O’Leary (42) at Scrahan Fada, Gneeveguilla, near Killarney on July 1st, 2012.

Judge Thomas E O’Donnell, handing down sentence said the collision “blew Mr O’Leary off the road,” so much so that his body and his bike were some distance behind a hedge.

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