Waterford City and County Council is currently developing the Waterford Greenway along a 45km section of the old disused railway line from Dungarvan to Waterford. It is anticipated that this amenity will officially open to the public in the second half of 2016. It is envisaged that the development and completion of the Greenway will have a hugely significant cultural, social and economic impact on the people of Waterford in the years to come. Read article
Congestion Charges & Cycling
This ECF evaluation shows that three of the four cities (London, Milan, Gottenburg & Stockholm) applying a system of congestion charging use part of the revenues from their respective schemes for measures related to cycling, especially London & Milan.
Cork’s Public Bike Schemes – Continuing the Journey
One year after the official launch of CokeZeroBikes (Cork), the Transport and Mobility Forum Cork (TMF) hosted a half-day seminar on 8th March 2016 on the scheme. The event saw a packed conference room in the Metropole Hotel with about 50 delegates with professional transport / bicycle planning backgrounds attending. Presentations were given on the public bike schemes by the NTA and a group of Master’s students from the UCC Centre for Planning, while the smaller scale Clonakilty Community Bike Scheme received lots of praise too. Planners for Cork City Council reported on their infrastructure improvement projects as did those from County Hall (i.e. Cork County Council) and Cork University Hospital. Delegates learned that there are a number of major employers yet not with the reach of the public bikes.
In the lively discussion, many attendees expressed the hope that the NTA would soon expand the scheme, building on its overwhelming success. This was echoed by the NTA’s Michael Aherne, although he had to try hard to keep expectations low. The NTA would first need to help the two other schemes (Limerick and Galway) up on their feet, although officials in Dublin were more than surprised about the rocket start of the Cork scheme. He pointed out that “in Dublin, we had to wait five years to see how the [Dublin Bikes] system developed and to understand usage patterns. In Cork, however, the emergence of a cycling culture appears to be happening on a fast track.“ Coordinated promotion from various sides and bodies, many of them part of the TMF, such as Cork Cycling Campaign, the Cork Councils, UCC and others, are making a valuable contribution to that success.
For more information visit: Transport & Mobility Forum (Cork) and Cork Cycling Campaign
Exhibition April 25th – May 7th Index Gallery, Central Library, Waterford
Inspired by the words of John F. Kennedy: “Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of riding a bike”
Presented by Cyclist.ie and Waterford Walk & Cycle Campaign
April 25th – May 7th, Index Gallery, Central Library, Waterford
How the Dutch got their cycling infrastructure
How did the Dutch get their cycling infrastructure? This question keeps coming back because it is of course relevant to people who want what the Dutch have.
Read more, including video
Super-size me
One fifth of adults worldwide will be obese by 2025, predicts study
UK is on track to have the highest obesity levels in Europe, while a fifth of world’s obese adults live in six high-income English-speaking countries
Diversity and Intermodality on Top in Mobility Agendas to Save Our Cities
Economic and environmental pressure challenges cities around the world to provide their citizens with an attractive, healthy and liveable living standard. As the world’s urban population is expected to increase by 50% by 2050, mobility demand rises. Read more
Cyclist.ie elects new Chairperson
Mike McKillen was the first chairperson of Cyclist.ie – The Irish Cycling Advocacy Network – from its foundation in February 2009. At our Council meeting on 12 March he announced that he decided to get off the ‘bike’ in order to let new legs pedal it into the future. Seven years in the saddle is long enough, particularly since as Flann O’Brien wrote in ‘The Third Policeman’, if you sit in a saddle for too long you fuse at a molecular level with the leather!
Colm Ryder (from Dublin Cycling Campaign) was nominated and elected unanimously as our new Chair at the Council meeting on Saturday 12 March and has taken over from Mike. Colm has plenty of energy and ideas so the steering and direction of the ‘bike’ are in good hands. Mike will still be involved in Dublin Cycling Campaign and with whatever has to be done in Cyclist.ie.
In handing over Mike said “I wish Colm well in the role. He has a great bunch of volunteers and an able National Cycling Coordinator in Dr. Damien O’Tuama”.
Mike is pictured above on the left, on his own bike; Colm is on a Dublin Bike, on the right
Waterford Greenway
Cycling too dangerous? Our justice system shares the blame
So 70% of parents think cycling in London is too dangerous. With this week’s acquittal of Aslan Khayardi, you can see why. Apparently it is acceptable for a driver to
- break the 30 mph speed limit by over 20mph on a road “shared” with vulnerable road users, while
- overtaking a cyclist at less than half the recommended safe passing distance.