Documenting Ireland's cycle lanes

ThisRegard

The tar stuff they use to seal around holes is equally as lethal, this morning I had a couple of instances of my arse sliding out from behind me as I filtered. Had I gone on my ear it would have been highly embarrassing, much worse than any pain inflicted.

Doctor Bob

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

That's the thing, this looks permanent. It's not totally smooth, it has those raised ridges. But it is the entire width of the cycle lane, so it's not like a drain in that you can go around it, plus it's raised. In short, it would worry me on a road bike in the wet.

'Temporary' is a relative term. The raised ridges are often used to stop the plate sliding around, even if only for a few days weeks months.

There was a lethal one of these just before John of God's (outbound) a few years back- the bend already has an adverse camber (left edge higher than the right on a left-turning bend) which was further complicated by the introduction of a slippy metal plate. Road tyres or not, these things are ridiculous- I had the bruises to prove it.

DirkVoodoo

Couldn't get over the amount of smashed bottles/glass last night. I'm amazed I didn't get a puncture.

Really, cycle lanes are an awful idea if they aren't done right. I like the painted on the road ones. I find cycling through donnybrook much more pleasant. Ok, so there are still a few manhole covers to contend with, but the surface is perfect, if I need to make a right hand turn it's easier and taxis and buses have been quite polite in giving me space because of a few painted lines.

EDIT: I'll try and grab some pics of that repair job later Bob.

galwaycyclist

Two new stories from Galway

July 2010: Cyclists face doomsday as Director of Services says
Doughiska is the model for the City.
http://www.galwaycycling.org/july-2010-cyclists-face-doomsday-as-director-of-services-says-doughiska-is-the-model-for-the-city/

June 2010: Community Forum condemns Quirke road redesign but avoids
pulling plug on Areas Fund bid
http://www.galwaycycling.org/june-2010-community-forum-condemns-quirke-road-redesign-but-avoids-pulling-plug-on-areas-fund-bid/

petethedrummer

http://www.galwaycity.ie/AllServices/YourCouncil/ManagementTeam/

tomasrojo

Just in case anyone is unfamiliar witn Doughiska but hasn't time to follow the links.

rp

Just in case anyone is unfamiliar witn Doughiska but hasn't time to follow the links.

Jeez, that's mad. Sounds like a case for http://www.bypad.org
BTW, I can't see any RUS009 signage, so I guess it's purely intended as a street art installation?

Raam

The designer must be insane. Has anyone asked the people who approved this if they are stupid?

If the road was widened such that the cycle section remains where it is, but at road level, it would be a whole lot better.

coolbeans

tomasrojo wrote: »

Just in case anyone is unfamiliar witn Doughiska but hasn't time to follow the links.

Christ on a bike!!! :eek:

tomasrojo

coolbeans wrote: »

Christ on a bike!!! :eek:

And, just to reiterate, according to the Galway Cycling Campaign, the Director of Services regards this as a blueprint for future cycling provision in Galway.

coolbeans

tomasrojo wrote: »

Just in case anyone is unfamiliar witn Doughiska but hasn't time to follow the links.

Look at all the yield requirements on that one stretch of road ffs! Rush hour situation: "Dum de dum, oh I'd better stop for this motorist exiting onto main road...five metres further on 'oh, I'd better stop again for this motorist, bit inconvenient but what the hey...five metres on again; bugger another motorist that I have to yield to, hmmm this is getting tiresome and I'm getting nowhere, ah well, he's pulled out now and I'm on my way. Six or seven metres later 'ah for **** sake, I'm getting fcuking nowhere, another fcuker pulling out that I have to yield to. Sod this shaggin cycle lane, I'm using the road and fcuk any fcuker that says otherwise!" Cyclist proceeds onto the main thoroughfare and is subjected to abuse by drivers for not using the "cycle track". Conflict ensues and nobody wins. Nice one Galway; in future perhaps you'd consider employing someone who's actually cycled a bike in the last ten when designing this infrastructure...just a thought. :rolleyes:

carthoris

Raam wrote: »

The designer must be insane. Has anyone asked the people who approved this if they are stupid?

You do have to wonder about it - it is almost as if they put all their effort into frustrating cyclists as much as possible.


from http://www.galwaycycling.org/july-2010-cyclists-face-doomsday-as-director-of-services-says-doughiska-is-the-model-for-the-city

In the space of 1.4km, cyclists had their priority removed at all 18 side roads, several bus stops, a taxi rank and several pedestrian crossings. The engineers who approved the design also stated that they expected cyclists to yield to turning and crossing traffic at every one of the 43 property entrances on the road.

BostonB

Thats insane.

We should try and get other bike sites to pick up the story.

rp

BostonB wrote: »

We should try and get other bike sites to pick up the story.

:mad: Totally. This should be front page news.
What really gets me is this is how they are intending to spend €25m of public money on this (Smarter Travel Areas Fund)? Making cycling more dangerous?
Should not a Bypad audit be made mandatory when public money is to be spent on cycling facilities? Who validates these designs?

Chips Lovell

Every time I see that pic I break my b***ix laughing.

petethedrummer

We should send it to them as a christmas card every year. And any other holiday you can think of throughout the year.

ThunderZtorm

The cycle lanes in Tyrrelstown (which is only 6 years old..) and from Tyrrelstown to the Ballycoolin business parks are actually decent - with one fatal flaw though - no "ramps" whenever a side road hits, which is pretty often - so hello 5cm drop down to road and 5cm jump back on the cycle lane.

Quite ok with your dual suspension BSO - not so ok for your racer. Thus, now I don't use the cycle lanes as they're simply too unpleasant and dangerous to both me and the bike.

monument

The DTO (now NTA) 2007 survey of cycle tracks is online -- with images, but the video links are broken.

Visit: http://137.191.228.107/ctbl/ / http://www.dto.ie/ctbl/

De-click: Maps available and map index tiles.

Click: Cycle tracks and bus lanes [edit: it works better with just one clicked at a time]

Zoom in.

Double click on a cycle track or bus lane.

tomasrojo

I zoomed in on the Cycle Track on Arran Quay. Among the other statistics, it says

Width: 0

Surprisingly accurate!


On the front page, it says this:

These maps are not a representation of the quality of or safety along these routes, cycling is conducted at an individuals risk. Indicated cycle routes are correct as from summer 2007, some background mapping may be incomplete.

I guess with all the cutbacks, they can't afford to hire someone to proof-read.

EDIT: I don't mean to sound unduly negative. This might be useful, and it does look as if they spent some money on it.

monument

I can't see how this crap can be stopped.

On the Grand Canal green route there's a discussion on the Dublin City board, and I've posted up an image of the 12 gates in just 8.5km! See here.

These are from the Lucan and Adamstown area, note that most of these are fairly new:





Lovely ending here:



Four or five bus shelters in the middle of a two-way cycle track:

markpb

monument wrote: »

I can't see how this crap can be stopped.

This stuff is unreal. What happened to the cycling officer they (DCC) were looking for last year?

Stark

Crap and all as they are, at least you don't have to stop at the lights.

Chips Lovell

Stark wrote: »

Crap and all as they are, at least you don't have to stop at the lights.

As long as the lights don't stop you

monument

On the above mentioned two-way cycle track, the surface quality was crap as normal, such as this:

This is my wallet to show the lip up between two stretches of the cycle track, my wallet is around an inch high on its side at the moment and the lip here is higher again:


And this:



Older tracks in Lucan:









And one more new one in Adamstown, this leads into the one in my last post which ends at a traffic light, and, here, note how cyclists are being asked to yield at two points in the background:

monument

markpb wrote: »

This stuff is unreal. What happened to the cycling officer they (DCC) were looking for last year?

To be fair, what's mentioned in my last few posts are mostly outside of the Dublin City Council area.

Although there has been a lot of crap done in the last year, including the re-painted or repaired or lanes / footpaths which is far lower than (international) best practice. It should be noted that the cycle officer is not all powerful and is limited by the structures and funding in place.

monument

And some from the DTO's 2007 survey from around town, as far as I'm aware none of these are out of date unless I note otherwise.

These are copyright the DTO or now the NTA. I'm using there under Re-use of Public Sector Information regulations:

Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005 (SI 279 of 2005) and Freedom of Information

The Dublin Transportation Office complies with the Regulations on the Re-use of Public Sector Information and encourages the re-use of information produced by the Office.

All of the information featured on its website is the copyright of the DTO and the Government of Ireland unless otherwise indicated. You may re-use the information on this website free of charge in any format. Re-use includes copying, issuing copies to the public, publishing, broadcasting and translating into other languages. It also covers non-commercial research and study.

3rd party mapping featured on this site shall not be copied or resued without seeking consent from the owners of the copyright of the maps.

Information and documents obtained from this website may be reproduced and / or re-used subject to the latest PSI licence available at www.psi.gov.ie

Generally re-use is subject to the following conditions.
You must:

acknowledge the source and our copyright in cases where you supply the information to others;
reproduce the information accurately;
not use the information in a misleading way;
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not use the information for or in support of illegal, immoral, fraudulent, or dishonest purposes

Inquiries relating to data should be directed to

Peter Cranny
Programme Manager
Dublin Transportation Office
Floor 3, Block 6/7,
Irish Life Centre,
Dublin 1

I have pics of this before, but note the people in the foreground and background:





Note the people in a small space between the bus and the kerb, this continues to happen on the North Strand Road, the bus lane isn't wide enoufe for the amount of buses and cyclists on the route at peek times:

Stark

That Drumcondra cycle lane is awful alright. For one thing, the surface where you enter the "cycle lane" is lethal in the rain. Then you have to cross several side roads with cars speeding out towards the main road which is a good few metres beyond where the cycle lane crosses.

monument

Stark wrote: »

Crap and all as they are, at least you don't have to stop at the lights.

There's a dip at both pedestrians crossing have and people walking have the right of way. And, err... the polls are in the middle of the cycle path!

tomasrojo

I used to live near there. I tried using it once and then went back to using the road (and occasionally being hassled for not using the "perfectly good" cycle lane).

It really betrays the mindset: cyclists should give way to EVERYONE: motorists on the main road, motorists on side roads, motorists emerging from driveways, pedestrians alighting from buses, etc., etc. There's apparently no scenario where a cyclist should have right of way.

This is a very depressing thread, isn't it?

monument

Posted this comment over on the Grand Canal thread, but it applies here too:

So much for the section of the cycle policy which says:

"We will ensure that designs are created with the principal aim of preserving cyclist momentum."