Dempsey releases a draft cycle design manual, for public consultation

monument

It's not online yet, but have emailed both the DTA and DoT asking for it.

Here's the press release from the DoT today:

Dempsey releases a draft cycle design manual, for public consultation

As part of the Government's new National Cycle Policy Framework, the Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey TD, announced today, a public consultation process on new guidelines for cycle design in Ireland.

The new guidelines will supersede the existing manual, which dates from 1997, and will reflect international best practice. The draft guidelines have been developed by a steering group comprising representatives of local authorities, transport agencies and other related organisations, and co-ordinated by the Dublin Transportation Office. For the purposes of technical rigour, the draft has been reviewed and assessed by a group of international experts in cycle design.
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Speaking today, Minister Dempsey said: "The National Cycle Policy Framework, which I launched in April this year, calls for a radical new approach to provision for cycling so that a culture of cycling can be created in Ireland. The new guidelines will be a critical element in the delivery of this objective, and in the promotion of a new way of thinking about how we use our streets."


The draft guidelines go beyond simply setting out design parameters for cycle routes. They also address the need to provide adequately for cyclists in sharing road space and the broader aim of ensuring appropriate (and lower) traffic speeds to encourage larger numbers of cyclists.


The Minister continued: "The guidelines are not cast in stone at this stage. Even when the final version is published in the new year, the guidelines will be dynamic, to be updated electronically as is needed."
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The Minister said in conclusion that details of the draft are available from the National Transport Authority (info@nationaltransport.ie) and he urged the public to submit their comments to the National Transport Authority by Friday 8 January 2010.


ENDS

Further information:
Press Office Department of Transport (01) 604 1090 / (01) 604 1091

Note for Editors

• The National Cycle Policy Framework was launched in April 2009. It sets out a comprehensive strategy to create a culture of cycling in Ireland so that by 2020, 10% of all trips will be by bike. (In 2006, just 2% of all trips were by bike)
• This means that there will be an extra 125,000 cycling every day by then (up from 35,000)
• The National Cycle Policy is comprehensive; ranging from better cycle provision to education and awareness
• Good progress is being made under each of the different elements of the Policy
• Action 18.4 of the Policy states that "We will produce new design guidance to supersede the existing cycle guidelines manual...to reflect best international practice and latest thinking on creating a cycling friendly infrastructure..."
• The Dublin Transportation Office was dissolved on 1 December and its functions have been transferred to the National Transport Authority. The NTA has now assumed responsibility for the publication of the new Guidelines.

Blowfish

The 1997 version was largely fine, the problem was never anything to do with the guidelines themselves, but much, much more to do with the fact that they were ignored completely.

A new design manual really isn't going to change much in that aspect, it's just something else for the road designers to ignore. If the minister focussed on forcing the road designers/planners to go along with best practice, then we finally might start seeing a difference.

tomasrojo

Perhaps the new manual will point out what designs are not acceptable. That would be a big help.

(E.g. Straight-ahead cycle lane to the left of a left-turn lane.)

petethedrummer

I have an idea why don't they;
1. Email the Danish Government asking for their policy document in word format.
2. Do a find for Denmark and a replace all with Ireland.
3. Hit save and press print.

The whole thing should take about 4 hours.

petethedrummer

Thats presuming its in English.

tomasrojo

From the long discussion I had online here about Danish facilities, I think that Danish people (drivers and cyclists) have a lot to do with how it is in Denmark. It's not just the facilities.

For example, do you really want cycle facilities that run up the inside of parked cars as standard here? As in
Footpath - cycle lane - parked cars - main traffic lane -main traffic lane - parked cars - cycle lane - footpath.

They seem to work there, but here, on the few that exist here, I find them irksome and hazardous too. Lots of doors opening in front of you, and nowhere to swerve to avoid them.

petethedrummer

To be honest I'd prefer a shared use approach but I'd say it will be another 30 years before this is even considered an option in Ireland. But if we're to have guidelines, why not just copy the world leaders?

tomasrojo

I think that, despite the extensive construction of counter-intuitive and hazardous facilities here since the late eighties, most roads here are still shared use. And I think most of them are fine.

I guess they could make it clear that cyclists can pass legally on the inside and that drivers have a duty of care to cyclists passing on the inside. That would be one of the more useful changes they could make, as it would clear up a legal puzzle and it would also mean that the law here matched that in the Netherlands or Denmark.

I still think passing on the inside is frequently a terrible idea, but if you're going to have facilities that promote the idea, it's at least consistent to make it unambiguously legal.

petethedrummer

tomasrojo wrote: »

I think that, despite the extensive construction of counter-intuitive and hazardous facilities here since the late eighties, most roads here are still shared use. And I think most of them are fine.

Thats stretching it a bit. The whole point of shared use is to remove signage, lights and instructions, leaving road users to sort out a situation with their brains. And reverse or abolish the current higher hierarchy of the motorist being at the top. Thats definitely not the case in the towns and cities of Ireland.

You could argue its kinda like that in the country, where there are no rules really and things are generally more civilised, boy racers aside.

Doctor Bob

Not to get overly Jesuitical about it (urban design nerd alert!!), but you're both correct and both a little incorrect.

What I think tomasrojo is taking about is really mixed streets, i.e. nice, pleasant streets in urban areas where no cycle lanes are required, traffic speeds are low and everyone gets along nicely. I'm thinking of, say, the bit of Dublin between South Great George's Street and Grafton Street.

What pete is taking about is more properly referred to as either shared space or shared surface*, i.e. the Hans Monderman approach of removing street furniture and road markings, necessitating everyone paying more attention as they go about their business. There are really no designed examples of this in Ireland that I know of, although as pete alluded to, many a country town on market day operates much in this fashion.

The term shared use is generally avoided due to a measure of ambiguity.

*There's also a bit of a distinction between shared space and shared surface, but it doesn't have a bearing on this discussion. And I fear I'm nerding it up too much already!

concussion

Nerd!!!! Grab your torches and pitchforks, he's trying to learn us!!!!

Nice post, and thanks to the three of you for the input.

BeerNut

Further to what Blowfish said, I'd like to see all traffic arrangements to be on a statutory basis, like signage already is. Councils, and the people they hire, just ignore guidelines far too often. Because they can.

petethedrummer

Well that would mean regulation and independent reviews. Something we're not very good at in this country.

tomasrojo

Doctor Bob wrote: »

What I think tomasrojo is taking about is really mixed streets, i.e. nice, pleasant streets in urban areas where no cycle lanes are required, traffic speeds are low and everyone gets along nicely. I'm thinking of, say, the bit of Dublin between South Great George's Street and Grafton Street.

What pete is taking about is more properly referred to as either shared space or shared surface*, i.e. the Hans Monderman approach of removing street furniture and road markings, necessitating everyone paying more attention as they go about their business. There are really no designed examples of this in Ireland that I know of, although as pete alluded to, many a country town on market day operates much in this fashion.

You're right, that's what I had in mind.

On a brighter note, Dempsey really is taking an interest in cycling, isn't he? It seems to be quite genuine.

tomasrojo

BeerNut wrote: »

Further to what Blowfish said, I'd like to see all traffic arrangements to be on a statutory basis, like signage already is. Councils, and the people they hire, just ignore guidelines far too often. Because they can.

I think it's even worse than that. They use the fact that they have frequently used a design before (such as placing straight-ahead cycle lanes on the inside of left-turn lanes) to justify doing it again. Once they've used an awful design often enough, they treat it as a standard. And then hide from all criticism behind that "standard".

monument

tomasrojo wrote: »

From the long discussion I had online here about Danish facilities, I think that Danish people (drivers and cyclists) have a lot to do with how it is in Denmark. It's not just the facilities.

For example, do you really want cycle facilities that run up the inside of parked cars as standard here? As in
Footpath - cycle lane - parked cars - main traffic lane -main traffic lane - parked cars - cycle lane - footpath.

They seem to work there, but here, on the few that exist here, I find them irksome and hazardous too. Lots of doors opening in front of you, and nowhere to swerve to avoid them.

They working there depends on people, yes, but it depends a lot too on design and space. Here we don't give enough space.

And there's a lot of people going to the extra saying that Denmark has only wide, planned streets and Dublin's streets are all narrow, medieval streets. Here's just some of the routes that I know are more than wide enough to haveDenmark-standard segregated cycle tracks:

-- N1 Church Street > Drumcrondra > Swords Road

-- N2 Church Street > Phibsborough > Finglas

-- N2/R108 Phibsborough > Ballymun Road

And, grand, some of these may have pinch points. But most are wide enough and comparable to Copenhagen. It's about what you want to use that space for: Parking, loading bays, two normal traffic lanes, overly wide traffic lanes, turn off lanes, extra wide footpaths, substandard bus lanes, cycle lanes, grass verges etc.

Lower Dorset Street and the Lower Drumcrondra Road, for example, has parking/loading bays, and extra wide footpaths, and turning lanes and dead space in the middle of the road, and two normal lanes and bus lane in one direction.

E-mailed the e-mail address mentioned in the press release, they'll be sending out the CDs with the manual by post over the next few days.

Victor

http://www.dublincycling.ie/node/514

2010-01-08 Cycle Manual Draft

To get a copy of the Draft Cycle Manual send an email to the NTA...

info@nationaltransport.ie

The manual has just been published but is not online. Note in the email that you are a private citizen.

If you have any comments on the draft please contact us as we will be preparing a submission.

tomasrojo

Thanks for that, @monument.

I think I'd be happiest with very wide bus lanes (so that buses can pass cyclists without changing lanes, and cyclists can pass buses taking on passengers without changing lanes). I think this has most of the advantages of segregation with none of the disadvantages (fussy junctions, clattering into disembarking bus passengers, to name two -- and of course, yield signs all over the place, which I'm sure is not a feature of Danish segregated facilities).

As you say, there are quite a few streets that are wide enough to be usefully modified in favour of public transport, walking and cycling.

Interesting that you mention Drumcondra. I was just passing the Archbishop's palace this morning, going north, ignoring the incorrectly sign-posted off-road cycle track and using the road. It struck me what a really awful design it is, especially when I saw a cyclist shoot off the northern end of it back onto the main road, oblivious of the danger of turning traffic approaching from his right. There really are so few good designs in Ireland.

Got my copy in the post today.

tomasrojo

So did I, but I haven't had a chance to look at it yet.

monument

1-5 of 40. As attached:

monument

As attached:

Note: A7 was not on the CD, it is one of the sections merged into another

And 'Chapter A8-Rural Cycling PDF.pdf' too large to upload here.

monument

As attached:

Note: B5 not on CD, apparently one of the files merged into the others

'Chapter B8-Link Options PDF.pdf' seems to be within the file size for PDFs but for some reason failed to upload

monument

As attached:

Note: B14 was also not on the CD

'Chapter B15-Roundabouts PDF.pdf' seems to be too large to upload here

'Chapter B16-Junction Layouts PDF.pdf' same

monument

As attached:

Note: 'Chapter C7-Transitions PDF.pdf' above file size

monument

As attached:

Note: 'Chapter C10-Providing for the Bicycle on a Bus Network PDF.pdf' also won't upload here

monument

As attached:

ENDS

monument

As some of the files did not upload, I've uploaded all of the PDFs from the CD to scribd.com, they can be viewed or downloaded from http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/20413317/folder/145974

Stokolan

Said Id zip em all and pop them onto raipdshare. Might be handier for some people

http://rapidshare.com/files/320520645/pdfs.zip

tomasrojo

Now available here too:
http://www.nationaltransport.ie/cycman.html

Got an e-mail earlier from the NTA stating they've extended the deadline for submissions until 5pm, Monday 25th January 2010.