Galway Cycling Campaign is calling for all traffic light systems to be rectified so that they give the green light to cyclists at junctions.
Sensors at many junctions in Irish cities are turning green for motorists, but not for cyclists. Read more
Category Archives: Irish Posts
Ireland, see also NI
Kilkenny Exploits Cyclists during Bikeweek!
The Kilkenny Cycling and Walking Campaign (KCWC) wanted to find away of getting people back on their bikes, but at the same time find out what was keeping from cycling in the City. We needed to find out what were the views of pedestrians and drivers of the behaviour of cyclists. How could we do this, while at the same time communicate our findings easily and effectively to the decisions makers in the County Council and other stakeholders such as tourism, the chamber of commerce and the general public? Free bikes and cup cakes was a good place to start!
Using funding through LA21 and the County Council we organised 4 bike rides around Kilkenny city of 30 minutes duration during bike week. The routes were to show the types of infrastructure available in the city, and the short cuts that are only available to cyclists and pedestrians in a city with a medieval fabric. Getting a free bike tour with a cup cake came with the price of giving feedback on cycling in Kilkenny by a voxpop. We were successful in attracting cyclists of all levels of experience, age and gender to participate doing 2 trips for novices and 2 trips for experienced riders. We even got some tourists to come along, and we ended up doing 5 trips in the end.
We got a vast amount of feedback on people’s experiences to help identify the barriers to cycling in Kilkenny, but also the views of shoppers and tourists who are the core of the city’s economic life.. We are editing it all into a 6-7 minute clip which we will then circulate and hopefully help influence the decisions and attitudes of the Council and Chamber of Commerce in future infrastructure development
Contact KCWC @kilkennycwc
Proposed quantum of monetary fine for cyclists’ traffic law offences
Dear Minister,
I am writing to you on behalf of Cyclist.ie – The Irish Cycling Advocacy Network – to express my concern about the high quantum of monetary fine mooted (€50) by your officials to deal with road traffic law infractions being made by some cyclists – as compared with the fines faced by those driving motor vehicles – but please note that we do not oppose the concept of a fixed-fine regime for cyclists.
Bicycle Theft Prevention
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
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.
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.
Highlighting road safety issues around large trucks
Large fleet operator – Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland, renowned city centre school – Belvedere College, An Taisce Green-Schools and Cyclist.ie, the Irish cycling advocacy network, will run a demonstration to highlight dangers of “blind zones” around Heavy Goods Vehicles(HGVs) for students at the Belvedere Sports Grounds on the Navan Road on 16 April 2015 (from 2 – 4pm).
Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland, the operator of a fleet of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) delivering to over 222 SuperValu and 465 Centra stores nationwide, together with Green-Schools, and Cyclist.ie, have organised the demo to raise awareness of an important road safety issue which impacts road users and pedestrians on a daily basis. Belvedere College is currently working on the Travel theme of the Green-Schools programme., which aims to promote sustainable and active modes of transport to school, including cycling
Green-Schools Travel
An Taisce has been working on the national Green-Schools Travel programme, which focuses on promoting sustainable travel on the school run, since September 2008. The Travel theme is funded by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and supported by the National Transport Authority under Smarter Travel Schools.
To date, over 1500 primary and secondary schools countrywide have taken part or are taking part in the Green-Schools Travel programme, implementing sustainable travel action plans in their schools. Since 2008 970 schools have been awarded the Green Flag for Travel, representing successful completion of the travel theme of the Green-Schools programme.
The ultimate aim of the Green-Schools Travel programme is to encourage students, parents and teachers to walk, cycle, scoot, Park ‘n’ Stride, use public transport or car pool instead of using the private car on the school run.
Cyclist.ie at Irish Cycling Show, RDS, 18-19 Apr
Cyclist.ie will have a space at the Irish Cycling Show at the weekend in the RDS. We’ll be chatting to punters about our work around recreating strong everyday cycling cultures all around Ireland. We also look forward to chatting to the other exhibitors about our work and finding out the latest trends in bicycle technology. Website