April 2009

Encouraging more cyclists - Irish Times Letters

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2009/0425/1224245377877.html

Madam, – David Smith (April 24th) believes that the bicycle is essentially a toy. How very typical of the Irish motorist mentality that a clean, carbon-neutral, fast and healthy mode of transport that causes no damage to roads and contributes little to traffic congestion should be shunted off the road for a dangerous, uneconomic, polluting, oversized lump of metal powered by an antiquated late Victorian technology.<

Plans to encourage more cyclists - Irish Times Letters

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2009/0423/1224245208196.html

Madam, – The danger of the passing car being driven too close for comfort and without regard for the cyclist is the great fear that every cyclist has (Life Features, April 22nd). Cycle lanes are brilliant, but it’s not possible to have them everywhere.

'Bus gate' plans for Dublin city centre to be scaled back - Irish Times

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0422/1224245136291.html

DUBLIN CITY Council intends to scale back significantly its plans for a “bus gate” at College Green despite warnings from Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey that he wants the car-free zone in place by July.

The tricky transition to two wheels - Irish Times

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2009/0422/1224245127368.html

The Government recently announced plans to increase the number of cyclists on our streets four-fold by 2020 – but what changes need to be made to encourage more people on to bicycles, FIONA McCANN .

IT’S GOOD for the environment. It’s good for your health. More people are doing it than ever before. So how come cycling in Ireland is still such a hard slog?

2009-04-22 Green Bike - George's St.

Cyclist.ie reaction to National Cycling Policy Framework

National Cycling Strategy is groundbreaking, but official attitudes must be tackled

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: 20th April 2009

HEADLINES

National Cycling Strategy: Official attitudes must be tackled say cyclists

National Cycling Strategy: Cyclists say new policy is groundbreaking but officials must experience roads and traffic while using bikes.

BODY

Cyclist.ie broadly endorses the government's newly released National Cycling Policy Framework. [see http://www.transport.ie/pressRelease.aspx?Id=85] "Government interest in cycling is welcome and we expect that many more commuters will swap the frustration of endless gridlock for the freedom of cycling" said Dr. Darren McAdam-O'Connell, vice chairperson of Cyclist.ie, Ireland's national cycling lobby group. "Regular cyclists have long known that cycling is the easiest, most practical and efficient way to get around our increasingly crowded cities. Recognition and promotion of cycling by policy makers is long over due. We strongly welcome a document that contains many of the measures that cyclists have been demanding for a long time, such as stronger measures against urban speeding, on-road cycle training in schools, improved driver training curriculum, dismantling of dangerous multilane one-way systems and permitting of bike carriage on trains and buses."

Minister aims to halt fall in bicycle use - RTE News

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0420/cycle.html

A comprehensive strategy to halt the sharp decline in the number of people using bicycles has been published.

Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey announced a series of measures including improved cycle routes and getting buses and trains to carry bikes as standard.

National transport plan to encourage greater uptake of cycling - Irish Times

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0420/1224245022965.html

THE MINISTER for Transport Noel Dempsey has said that he will begin immediate implementation of the National Cycle Policy Framework, which is published today.

The Minister has called in representatives from four government departments, various State agencies and 34 county and city councils for a workshop this morning to co-ordinate the plan.

The new cycling policy, which complements the National Sustainable Transport Plan, contains 109 individual actions to encourage a greater uptake of cycling.

The agencies will be asked to come up with plans to develop key recommendations including the development of a national cycle network including inter-urban routes, local recreation routes and urban commuter routes.