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Cycling in Dublin

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  • 07-01-2008 6:28pm
    #1
    HeY-bEaRDo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11 ✭


    Hey, i'm doing a project in college about Transport in Dublin. In a recent talk Minister Eamon Ryan pointed out that Dublin is both flatter and dryer than Amsterdam and yet there are very few people who are willing to swap four wheels for two. The benefits are obvious; you know exactly how long its going to take to get from A to B, its good for your health, and it is much more environmentally friendly. So what's stopping people?

    Any comments would be a big help and if you could answer the following questions that would be even better:

    Do you cycle to work/school? If not why not?

    How far do you live from work/school?

    Would you cycle if you could bring your bike on the bus/DART/Luas to shorten your trip?

    If safer cycle lanes were introduced would you be more inclined to cycle?

    Thanks

    Beardo :D


«1

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    #2
    SuperSean11
    Registered Users Posts: 1,555 ✭✭✭SuperSean11


    HeY-bEaRDo wrote: »
    Hey, i'm doing a project in college about Transport in Dublin. In a recent talk Minister Eamon Ryan pointed out that Dublin is both flatter and dryer than Amsterdam and yet there are very few people who are willing to swap four wheels for two. The benefits are obvious; you know exactly how long its going to take to get from A to B, its good for your health, and it is much more environmentally friendly. So what's stopping people?

    Any comments would be a big help and if you could answer the following questions that would be even better:

    Do you cycle to work/school? If not why not?

    How far do you live from work/school?

    Would you cycle if you could bring your bike on the bus/DART/Luas to shorten your trip?

    If safer cycle lanes were introduced would you be more inclined to cycle?

    Thanks

    Beardo :D

    One reason could be our bad weather


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    #3
    Tomas_V
    Closed Accounts Posts: 238 ✭✭Tomas_V


    Or, more correctly, the false perception that we have a lot bad weather and that one might get drenched.

    That's one.

    Another must be Ireland's absurd cycle lane laws.


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    #4
    HeY-bEaRDo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11 ✭HeY-bEaRDo


    but its dryer here than it is in Amsterdam!


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    #5
    Colm R
    Registered Users Posts: 997 ✭✭✭Colm R


    I cycle the relatively short distance of 4km to work. 8km a day is good exercise I guess.

    Cycling in Dublin is not great but its not impossible. Whats infuritaing is the non continuation of Cycle lanes, just like bus lanes. Where bus lanes and cycle lanes are combined, I cannot speak highly enough of Dublin Bus drivers. My experience is that they will overtake you when its safe to do so, and are generally not intimaditing. I guess they understand the size of their vehicle and how that can put a cyclist off.

    Light up and be seen. If you have to cycle in pedestrian area, like the ifsc, slow down. Pedestrians don't mind cyclists as long as your not pelting along.

    Motorists, a quick look in the side mirror when turning left, espeically if you in slow moving traffic. Most drivers do this. The ones that don't are the same drivers that piss other motorists off.

    Its good for the heart, the fitness, the environment, and if that doesn't get to you, its also good for your pocket.


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    #6
    HeY-bEaRDo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11 ✭HeY-bEaRDo


    Tomas_V wrote: »
    Another must be Ireland's absurd cycle lane laws.

    Do tell?


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    #7
    Ste.phen
    Registered Users Posts: 2,808 ✭✭✭Ste.phen


    HeY-bEaRDo wrote: »
    Do tell?
    I'm sure someone will mention in more detail and with more of a definitive answer, but basically, as i understand it:
    *Cyclists are required by law to use a cycle lane where available
    *Cars are NOT required by law to stay out of them
    *Cars are in many cases allowed to PARK in them.
    *Drivers who park in them (where it's a clearway) are never (that i've seen, anyways) fined, etc


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    #8
    Heart
    Registered Users Posts: 188 ✭✭Heart


    There lack of proper surfaces in cycle lanes.

    Also their stupid operating hours, some are shared parking spaces, some are parked in regardless.

    I use the cycle lane along Parnell St., its always parked in every evening...

    H


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    #9
    trellheim
    Registered Users Posts: 5,856 ✭✭✭trellheim


    yes the Mespil road cycle lanes in both directions ? Nearly gone now due to so many roadworks but would they put them back ? would they me hole.


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    #10
    HeY-bEaRDo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11 ✭HeY-bEaRDo


    In a recent talk Minister Eamon Ryan pointed out that Dublin is both flatter and dryer than Amsterdam and yet there are very few people who are willing to swap four wheels for two. The benefits are obvious; you know exactly how long its going to take to get from A to B, its good for your health, and it is much more environmentally friendly. So what's stopping people?

    Any comments would be a big help and if you could answer the following questions that would be even better:

    Do you cycle to work/school? If not why not?

    How far do you live from work/school?

    Would you cycle if you could bring your bike on the bus/DART/Luas to shorten your trip?

    If safer cycle lanes were introduced would you be more inclined to cycle?

    Thanks

    Beardo :D


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    #11
    MoominPapa
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,106 ✭✭✭MoominPapa


    Igy wrote: »
    I'm sure someone will mention in more detail and with more of a definitive answer, but basically, as i understand it:
    *Cyclists are required by law to use a cycle lane where available
    *Cars are NOT required by law to stay out of them
    *Cars are in many cases allowed to PARK in them.
    *Drivers who park in them (where it's a clearway) are never (that i've seen, anyways) fined, etc

    According to this (if I'm reading it correctly)
    • Cyclists are required to use them when available
    • Vehicles ARE required to stay out of them unless avoiding an obstruction or crossing for access
    • Vehicles unloading are allowed to park in them for a maximum of 30 mins
    However, you are completely correct that no one ever gets fined, clearway or not


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    #12
    dogmatix
    Registered Users Posts: 1,404 ✭✭✭dogmatix


    Dublin is flatter then amsterdam? For a minister who lives in dublin 16 or thereabouts he must not be cycling in and out of town too often. To get from the city centre to ballinteer you have to go up a steep hill after milltown, a not so steep (but bloody long) hill at the mental asylum and the worst hill of all, just after dundrum. Flatter? i don't think so!

    Cycle paths are another problem - they are usually badly surfaced/prepared, and used as parking at all hours by cars.


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    #13
    MOH
    Registered Users Posts: 6,464 ✭✭✭MOH


    I've lived and cycled in both Amsterdam and den Haag. After that, there's no way I'd ever cycle in Dublin.

    The joke cycle lanes here are one reason. Keep road existing width, paint a strip purple, now it's a magic cycle lane. The concept of separating cyclists from other vehicles with a kerb is beyond dublin city planners.

    The other problem is the attitude of drivers to cyclists. I found in the Netherlands drivers had far more respect for cyclists - e.g. if you're on a cycle lane on a main road crossing a junction with a minor road, cars coming out of said minor road will actually give way to you. Or equally, cars turning off onto the minor road don't tend to cut you off without looking. That took a bit of getting used to. Works both ways though - a lot of cyclists here will ignore red lights, cycle on footpaths etc.

    I can't see either of those factors changing here, so no cycling for me, despite the fact it wouldn't take me much longer to get to work and I'd get some badly needed exercise. :(


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    #14
    ardmacha
    Registered Users Posts: 7,476 ✭✭✭ardmacha


    Dublin is flatter then amsterdam?

    Sure if Mount Merrion was in the Netherlands it would be the higher than 99.99% of the country!


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    #15
    daymobrew
    Registered Users Posts: 6,487 ✭✭✭daymobrew


    Do you cycle to work/school? Yes

    How far do you live from work/school? 9 miles

    Would you cycle if you could bring your bike on the bus/DART/Luas to shorten your trip? Yes

    If safer cycle lanes were introduced would you be more inclined to cycle? Yes

    I've been cycling to school/uni/work since I was 12 (that was in 1983) so it's a habit at this stage.


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    #16
    niceonetom
    Registered Users Posts: 4,833 ✭✭✭niceonetom


    Do you cycle to work/school? If not why not? :Yep

    How far do you live from work/school? : about 5km, but i cycle for fun too.

    Would you cycle if you could bring your bike on the bus/DART/Luas to shorten your trip? :YES

    If safer cycle lanes were introduced would you be more inclined to cycle? :sure, cyclelanes are a good thing. they remind motorists that they share the road with smaller, slower, more crushable users.

    i feel that the problem of lack of 'uptake' of cycling is due to the false idea that cycling in the city is worse than it is. it ain't that bad folks - it's actually fun sometimes :eek: :)

    it's not that cold or wet. it's not that dangerous either. and the benefits are huge. fitness. low cost. freedom from the nightmare that is dublin traffic. general bloody wellbeing, i think.

    i'd encourage people to give it a try, though maybe try to do it on a half-decent bike on a nice day. you might like it.


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    #17
    HeY-bEaRDo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11 ✭HeY-bEaRDo


    dogmatix wrote: »
    Dublin is flatter then amsterdam? For a minister who lives in dublin 16 or thereabouts he must not be cycling in and out of town too often. To get from the city centre to ballinteer you have to go up a steep hill after milltown, a not so steep (but bloody long) hill at the mental asylum and the worst hill of all, just after dundrum. Flatter? i don't think so!

    Cycle paths are another problem - they are usually badly surfaced/prepared, and used as parking at all hours by cars.

    Would you benefit from a facility on the luas that allowed you bring your bike to flatter ground? and would you use a bike if this was the case?


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    #18
    Stark
    Registered Users Posts: 20,893 ✭✭✭✭Stark


    Better, safer cycle lanes. Cycle lanes that are segregated from the main traffic if possible and form interconnected routes, rather than just appearing and disappearing at random.

    Better driver training and enforcement of the traffic laws.


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    #19
    daymobrew
    Registered Users Posts: 6,487 ✭✭✭daymobrew


    HeY-bEaRDo wrote: »
    Hey, i'm doing a project in college about Transport in Dublin.
    You could post again in the Cycling forum.


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    #20
    dogmatix
    Registered Users Posts: 1,404 ✭✭✭dogmatix


    Aye - the ability to bring bikes on public transport would be a good idea - they have external bike racks on buses in Vancouver. But I could not see it working on the luas as it is packed enough during the rush hour and having external racks on a luas or dart could have safety implications.

    As for the hills - it's grand heading into town (just one uphill part just over the dodder at milltown), it's heading home in the evenings thats a pain.

    For me however, the best way to make dublin more cycle friendly is for properly constructed cycle paths, more of them and ensure they are policed properly. And tackle bicyce theft in the city.


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    #21
    kmick
    Registered Users Posts: 3,375 ✭✭✭kmick


    Do you cycle to work/school? If not why not? Yes

    How far do you live from work/school? 2km

    Would you cycle if you could bring your bike on the bus/DART/Luas to shorten your trip? No Public transport is too unreliable for my short temperment

    If safer cycle lanes were introduced would you be more inclined to cycle? Ban cars from the city centre and everyone would cycle or take the bus

    Lets see if eamonn ryan puts his money where his bike is and introduces tax breaks for cyclists or bans cars from the centre. If he does the greens have my vote next time.


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    #22
    HeY-bEaRDo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11 ✭HeY-bEaRDo


    kmick wrote: »
    Lets see if eamonn ryan puts his money where his bike is and introduces tax breaks for cyclists or bans cars from the centre. If he does the greens have my vote next time.

    Google offers their employees something like €200 to get a bike - this has been very successful considering they employ over 2000 people and have only 9 car park spaces. Mr Ryan said he would try and get a tax break for Google on this €200.

    As far as banning cars from the city centre? i don't know if that could be done any time soon... the luas extensions need to be completed along with the M50 upgrade and perhaps the eastlink could be bought out with tax money and pearse street traffic could be re routed over that way?! a more realistic proposal is the introduction of a london style congestion charge - that would encourage people to find an alternative means of commuting while allowing essential access to those who need it.


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    #23
    gerrowadat
    Registered Users Posts: 3,363 ✭✭✭gerrowadat


    Banning cars from the city centre would involve having a public transport system that gets you there quicker. If you ban cars, and increase the commute time of 3 or 400k people by 10-15 minutes, that affects the economy in a measurable way.

    Personally I find it hilarious how environment-loving bike riders advocate freedom on the roads, equal rights to them, etc., and then are the first to turn around and advocate banning stuff, which is pretty much the opposite of freedom. Present an alternative before talking about banning stuff.


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    #24
    carlmango11
    Registered Users Posts: 1,019 ✭✭✭carlmango11


    It's wet
    It's cold
    You almost get knocked down like 400 times
    You can't listen to music/radio (without being constantly cautious that there's a loud truck about to hit you)
    You have to lock your bike in a good spot and hope someone doesnt rob everything but the wheel
    It's tiring
    It's a big change, and everyone knows that all these darn last generation Irish people hate change. "Are ye mad!? Why wud e soycle when eve got de caar!?"
    a more realistic proposal is the introduction of a london style congestion charge

    Agree with you there but I think I remember reading that it actually hasn't decreased traffic in Central London at all. Obviously the only people who drive into Central London and people who have no other decent means of getting in. Or just really hate public transport

    Meh.


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    #25
    HeY-bEaRDo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11 ✭HeY-bEaRDo


    carlmango11 wrote: »
    I think I remember reading that it actually hasn't decreased traffic in Central London at all.

    Congestion is down 30%. Fact.


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    #26
    carlmango11
    Registered Users Posts: 1,019 ✭✭✭carlmango11


    Congestion is down 30%. Fact.

    Cool, maybe a system like that might work here then


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    #27
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 90,700 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    carlmango11 wrote: »
    Cool, maybe a system like that might work here then
    Except for one small detail. London has effective public transports system where if you want to get from A to B you don't have to change in the City Centre. Until we do it will be seen as a stealth tax.


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    #28
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 90,700 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    HeY-bEaRDo wrote: »
    Google offers their employees something like €200 to get a bike - this has been very successful considering they employ over 2000 people and have only 9 car park spaces. Mr Ryan said he would try and get a tax break for Google on this €200.
    car parking spaces cost a lot more than €200

    it would be nice if you could claim milage on bikes for business expenses
    and tax brake on bike purchases would be nice too


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    #29
    DWCommuter
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,032 ✭✭✭DWCommuter


    I don't know whether the OP is still hangin around or if my post will be of any assistance to them, but here goes.

    I gave up cycling in 1992. (my last year of college) I sorely regret it as my weight increased and my dependency on Public transport shot through the roof. I had been using the bike as a means of transport since the age of 12. (school, shops, friends etc.) Even back then, cycling was not hugely popular, but I'd put that down to the expense of a bike and a dull economy. When I was growing up, my dad didn't have a car until I was about 11. He cycled to work to pick up his truck. But as soon as he had money (through redundency) he bought a car. Why? Well it was a luxury he could afford, it was a staus symbol and by his accounts, cycling in Dublin was a nightmare anyway. (Weather was one of the reasons he cited):D

    In my opinion its all about culture. Dublin had more cyclists in the 50s and 60s because people couldn't afford cars. But as soon as they could afford them, they bought them. The bicycle was seen a a symbol of either poverty or leisure. Poor people struggled to buy one and then relied on it, while rich people used them at weekends for leisure after driving their cars all week. Just look back to the "emergency" period of Irish history. Sean Lemass heading to the Dail on a bike because of fuel shortages. Normally he went by car. The bike stunt was just that. A stunt. One which in hindsight highlighted how certain sections of Irish society were already heading towards car dependency.Then we planned housing in such a manner that the bicycle wasn't a particular appealing method of transport in terms of getting to work. The aspiration in Ireland was to get a car at the first opportunity. The "culture" that Im talking about never pushed the benefits of cycling. Nor did it encourage any initiatives to develop its potential.

    For generations, the bicycle has been seen as the poormans mode of transport in Ireland. That is why 17 year old leaving cert students have cars. That is why college car parks are bursting at the seams with students cars. That is why the first loan most people ever take out, is a car loan. That is why our Government neglect cycling. That is why public transport is starved of proper funding and management. That is why our roads are clogged with cars.

    Its all about culture.


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    #30
    trellheim
    Registered Users Posts: 5,856 ✭✭✭trellheim


    Do you cycle to work/school? YES

    How far do you live from work/school? 2 miles

    Would you cycle if you could bring your bike on the bus/DART/Luas to shorten your trip?

    yes - laws should be changed to allow offpeak bikes be brought on all trams and trains.

    If safer cycle lanes were introduced would you be more inclined to cycle?

    Yes - the current cycle lanes are a complete joke.


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    #31
    the dee
    Registered Users Posts: 1,155 ✭✭✭the dee


    I cycle to work and back every day. About 5kms each way. I work in Inchicore and live in Phibsboro. It takes half an hour.

    I think more people don't cycle because everyone lives in the suburbs and works in the city. I used to live in Blanchardstown - no way I'd cycle into the city from there! And going back out would be all uphill.

    Since I started cycling I have realised that Dublin is a lot drier than I thought. In the past 6 months, there have been about 7 days that I had to leave the bike behind because of rain. (this morning included). Dublin motorists need to learn a thing or two about dealing with bicyles in my opinion.


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