Funding announcement as part of the 'smarter travel' initiative

p

Full details here, but essentially a list of cycling related projects that are getting funding in the next few years. Pretty amazing stuff really, especially seeing hard figures. Lots of good ideas and many that have been discussed here.

Really great to see. (I really feel like the tide has changed regarding cycling)

http://cyclingindublin.com/2010/05/19/funding-for-smarter-travel-demonstration-projects/
http://www.transport.ie/pressRelease.aspx?Id=220

Blowfish

This one for DLRCC should hopefully be useful:

Project to provide staff training on road user auditing and specifically on identifying needs of more sustainable transport modes including public transport, pedestrians, cyclists and motor cyclists.

I'm hoping that includes informing those doing roadworks that overfilling potholes to the point of leaving a convex bump/ridge of tarmac leaves the surface in not much better condition for cyclists than if they hadn't filled it in at all.

tomasrojo

Things do seem to be getting better. I guess the recession helps somewhat as well.

I am very concerned about the direction things will take after 2012. Hopefully Fine Gael won't get a commanding majority.

Also, it's good to see motorcyclists being considered in road design (or, rather, the promise being made to take them into consideration). Statistically, they have disproportionately high accident rates, unlike cyclists.

p

tomasrojo wrote: »

I am very concerned about the direction things will take after 2012. Hopefully Fine Gael won't get a commanding majority.

Why's that? They do have cycling as part of their manifesto at least.

monument

p wrote: »

Why's that? They do have cycling as part of their manifesto at least.

Because Fine Gael's actions -- namely, but likely not exclusively in Dublin City Council -- have been time after time being notable for being anti-cycling, walking and anything that affects car use even where the safety benefits to cyclists and pedestrians are large and well-proven.

See here for just one example, their rants about 30km/h were even worse.

It's not a good sign that Eamon Gilmore and others in Labour are populist. Ie Gilmore's response to Labour council's support of 30km/h. He was quoted as saying:

"I accept it was done for good reasons," he said.

"I think it's impractical.

"I'm not sure it's even a good safety measure… trying to stay at under 30kph probably means you are spending more time looking at the clock."

This is populist nonsense. Feck science, feck research, feck examples in Berlin, London etc.

Labour also could also leave their transport and green demands at the door for other getting other promises.

tomasrojo

Yes, Gilmore is an opportunist to his core.

tomasrojo

I also don't like Fianna Fail very much, apart from their late conversion to the benefits of cycling.

Esroh

Dont know much about FG's dublin guys but I cycled a far few KMs of the Mayo Pink Ribbon Cycle with Enda Kenny ( who actually promoted the idea for the cycle 1st) and he is very pro cyclists and cycling.

tomasrojo

Enda Kenny is interested in cycling as a way of keeping fit. He's never expressed any interest in cycling as a transport medium.

If he has, I'd be pleased to hear otherwise. If he has, he really needs to have a word with the likes of Bill Tormey and Gerry Breen, who decided the best way to tackle the 30 zone was to make out that it was the machinations of a powerful and sneaky cabal of cyclists, plotting to undermine the hard-won rights of decent, honest motorists.