One-off Cycling in Dublin newspaper

monument

I'm looking at producing a one-off newspaper on issues facing cycling in Dublin today and into the future. It is planned to be ready for and distributed on Bike Week 2012, to be held June 16 to 24.

It is being "crowdfunded" using fundit.ie, which is using "all or nothing funding" -- so the target must be reached. You can find more details on the project and on fundit.ie here.

These are some of the things I'm looking to cover, but I'm open to suggestions on how to cover these or on other topics to cover:

• ‘My cycle’: short interviews and photographs of a wide range of Dublin cyclists, asking them about their journeys and why they cycle
• The future of cycling in Dublin
• Is a minimum passing distance needed?
• How against-flow lanes on one-way streets could change cycling
• The Irish bad weather myth (at least for Dublin)
• Cycling cities: A look at established and upcoming cycling cities
• Children on board: Transporting children on bikes
• Beginners guide: From choosing a bike to the basic extras
• On-bike storage: Panniers, racks, baskets, bags
• Cargo bikes as a car or second car replacement
• Gender gap issue
• Is it important how cycling is marketed?
• Locks, locking bikes correctly, recording details, bike registration
• Is cycling safe: The stats for Dublin would seem to suggest, yes, but can more be done to make it more attractive to everybody?

It is planned to be mainly, or nearly totally, centred on urban/commuting/utility cycling, but I'm posting here because of the dual function of this cycling board.

A mock-up of what two page spread would look like is attached, here.

Once distribution is nailed down a little more, I'll also be targeting business for support, but 'every little helps' actually rings true here -- it's so-far 11% funded after just about 48 hours online.

Any questions, comments or abuse?

kuro_man

Change the last one to "Cycling is safe"
Do was ask if walking is safe?

coolbeans

If you'd like some help let me know and I will see what I can do.

irishmotorist

I think that this is a great idea. I think all of your topics are valid but they will take up a lot of space. Do you have any idea yet what size or number of pages the paper will be? I think that keeping a positive spin on every article is a must and you'll get lots of good ideas in here about it.

Fair play and good luck!

tomasrojo

Great idea. Interesting counterexample to National Helmet Week, as you put it before.

monument

kuro_man wrote: »

Change the last one to "Cycling is safe"
Do was ask if walking is safe?

Yes, my title for that one may have been a little long and academic.

The idea behind it is: Since cycling is safe and has gotten safer, statistically anyway, should we be talking more about making cycling more attractive and more enjoyable?

coolbeans wrote: »

If you'd like some help let me know and I will see what I can do.

Thanks.

irishmotorist wrote: »

I think that this is a great idea. I think all of your topics are valid but they will take up a lot of space. Do you have any idea yet what size or number of pages the paper will be? I think that keeping a positive spin on every article is a must and you'll get lots of good ideas in here about it.

Fair play and good luck!

Thanks. It will take up a good deal of space (and time!), and I'm keeping this in mind. It's planned to be 24 pages tabloid/compact with the option of going to 28 pages, if for example a lot of the adversing places on fundit.ie are taken up.

With 24 pages fitting the articles plus any advertising, it will be very tight. But fitting things in (and deciding what to keep, expand, cut down, and drop) is a large part of the joy and struggle of a project like this one.

One of the first things you'd normally do is to do out a page plan, but I want to keep that loose for the moment and give people a chance to give genuine input -- some of you might have an idea worth looking at which is better than mine. The gender issue is one I added after feedback -- and I am willing to add more to the mix before deciding with ones to keep.

tomasrojo wrote: »

Great idea. Interesting counterexample to National Helmet Week, as you put it before.

At the same time, I'll be careful of trying not to totally airbrush any helmets or any types of cyclists out of the picture.

monument

Any other suggestions?

monument

Slowly getting there -- now 15% funded and a few businesses and groups are thinking about funding it too. Thanks for support from everybody so-far.

And, even if you can't help with the funding, I'm still happy to take any feedback or questions.

what_traffic

Perhaps a piece on Cycle Training for Children and Adults? With a focus on the UK'S Bikeability programme? That could be included in the "future of cycling in Dublin"

monument

what_traffic wrote: »

Perhaps a piece on Cycle Training for Children and Adults? With a focus on the UK'S Bikeability programme? That could be included in the "future of cycling in Dublin"

Good idea, and not many people know there is a handful of people offering cycling training in Ireland.

Edit: And more importantly, so many people think they are doing them self a favour by cycling in the gutter.

monument

For those interested -- the paper is now past the 60% mark on Fund.ie and there's 20 days to go.

If it gets €450 above the target the print run / amount of copies will double to 10,000.

OssianSmyth

A feature on Rothar
Explain Bike to Work in 50 words
Status of bike track projects in the city, grand canal, royal canal, Dodder, S2S
who to contact in the local authorities about cycling problems.
A list of places to rent a bike. eg Belfield do carbon frame, Greenaer do electric

jameverywhere

how can one get a copy once it's published?

DirkVoodoo

Great idea, however your overuse of flashing text in the promotional video reminded me of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I63kqpPpsn4

BostonB

Do an online and/or downloadable version.

hardCopy

Maybe an article on possible expansion of the DublinBike scheme?

An interview with someone like Andrew Montague?

You could mention the DCC bike park in Drury St. under the locking article (if it still exists).

monument

Thanks for all of the suggestions...

OssianSmyth wrote: »

A feature on Rothar
Explain Bike to Work in 50 words
Status of bike track projects in the city, grand canal, royal canal, Dodder, S2S
who to contact in the local authorities about cycling problems.
A list of places to rent a bike. eg Belfield do carbon frame, Greenaer do electric

A small feature on bicycle recycling and second hand bikes might even be better, because there's not just Rothar.

A round up of where off-road bike routes are should straight forward enough -- planning on including that in or as a side bar to the future of cycling in Dublin feature.

Bike to Work in 50 words, different rent a bikes, who to contact -- all good ideas which should fit in as small stand alone bits.

jameverywhere wrote: »

how can one get a copy once it's published?

Planned to distribute them at Bike Week events, in the bike shop who will take them, and in usual places you get free magazines (cafes, etc -- both in the city centre and also outside of it). I'm open to any suggestions. One of the, maybe crazier, ways I've been thinking about is just handing them out to cyclists at peak times on the busier cycling commuter routes or at large destinations

If you can fund it by at least €15 on fundit.ie, one will also be posted to your address.

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Great idea, however your overuse of flashing text in the promotional video reminded me of this:

It's supposed to be a very poor but obvious rip-off of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gXY3kuDvSU

There could have been so much potential if I called the project: Cycling in Dublin: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bicycle!

BostonB wrote: »

Do an online and/or downloadable version.

Will do, but it is likely to follow after the paper's release.

hardCopy wrote: »

Maybe an article on possible expansion of the DublinBike scheme?

An interview with someone like Andrew Montague?

You could mention the DCC bike park in Drury St. under the locking article (if it still exists).

Expansion of Dublin Bikes is to be included as another side bar on the future of cycling in Dublin article, I was thinking of having it as a main feature in its self but I'm not sure if there is enough which has not already been wrote by myself and others.

Montague and other councillors etc, if willing, will likely be interviewed for one or more articles on different topics, but not for standalone interview articles.

Drury St might fit into something small on the ongoing parking saga -- the council generally are finding it hard to keep up with demand, which is a good sign of growth. Cyclehoop has helped a lot to define parking and make poles better for parking, but there still seems like a lot of demand in central areas.

Rock of Gibraltar

I'd have an article on the poor quality of bikes advertised as commuter or utility bicycles sold in Ireland.
Take for example Halfords
http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/categorydisplay_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_categoryId_212377_langId_-1

A quick look through their bikes sold for riding around town reveals that mud guards, lights, bells, chain guards etc are not sold as standard.
It's really as if no one has put any thought into what people actually need when cycling their few km to work and around the city.

monument

Rock of Gibraltar wrote: »

I'd have an article on the poor quality of bikes advertised as commuter or utility bicycles sold in Ireland.
Take for example Halfords
http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/categorydisplay_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_categoryId_212377_langId_-1

A quick look through their bikes sold for riding around town reveals that mud guards, lights, bells, chain guards etc are not sold as standard.
It's really as if no one has put any thought into what people actually need when cycling their few km to work and around the city.

Will include all of this in the 'Beginners guide: From choosing a bike to the basic extras'.

Halfords are by far not the only ones to exclude these things -- it's a near industry wide problem at manufacturer level. While a few models will have commuting gear included, at the other end many models will have the fittings but will only allow for mudguards and carriers to be fixed by modifying (read forcing and breaking) things.

Oldlegs

monument wrote: »

{Online version, suggestion }
Will do, but it is likely to follow after the paper's release.

I wonder if it would be worth reconsidering the hardcopy approach. I know of many ad-funded magazines which have migrated from a hardcopy to online-only. There are benefits in both approaches (and the dual/multi-channel approach). But in start-up mode, would you be able to develop a readership focusing your initial funds on content rather than printing ? You can then secure ad-based funding based on a proven, targeted audience and decide if you want/need to then use the increased revenue to undertake physical print runs/and associated distribution.

Let me know if you want to look at this angle, as it I would be happy to help you work through the online strategy.

monument

Oldlegs wrote: »

I wonder if it would be worth reconsidering the hardcopy approach. I know of many ad-funded magazines which have migrated from a hardcopy to online-only. There are benefits in both approaches (and the dual/multi-channel approach). But in start-up mode, would you be able to develop a readership focusing your initial funds on content rather than printing ? You can then secure ad-based funding based on a proven, targeted audience and decide if you want/need to then use the increased revenue to undertake physical print runs/and associated distribution.

Let me know if you want to look at this angle, as it I would be happy to help you work through the online strategy.

At this stage I've made a commitment to the project as outlined. However, even if I had not, the dual format allows for a wider reach and impact.

As a freelance journalist I've worked for both old and new media outlets, I'm far from a luddite but I still believe in the power of the printed newspaper as a content delivery method. One of the benefits of a paper product is how it can introduce people to new stories and information they may not even have been looking for -- this isn't even matched by iPads and other tablets. That does not mean everybody will read every newspaper article, but it increases the changes people will be interested enough with what they see to read it.

The dual format allows for getting the content delivery method right into people's hands and also online for an archive people find, search, browse, bookmark and link to. The paper product will also be designed as a long shelf life product, with a focus on more timeless features so the content will be relevant for a reasonable time after its release at Bike Week.

On fundit.ie, the paper is now 66% funded with 17 days to go. I could be wrong, but I'm not sure an online-only strategy would have gotten that support. In a matter of a year or two the penetration of the iPad is likely to be so high that going for tabloid-size in print over tablets could be a bit mad, but for now print makes sense.

BostonB

I like the idea of timeless features. In the past I would pick up a bike mag for an article for a story about a cycling trip, change of lifestyle or journey to work, or info on their bikes. I probably would read a mag over many weeks, in small bits. As such if I;m going to buy a mags it would be one with decent stories/articles rather than something with just news and ads.

On the flip side of that we've seen some local free papers close up lately. But I wouldn't read them that much as they are full of ads and mostly old news by the time I see them.

tomasrojo

monument wrote: »

One of the benefits of a paper product is how it can introduce people to new stories and information they may not even have been looking for

I find this to be true myself. Some of the more interesting articles I've read were ones that just caught my eye when skimming the paper.

SerialComplaint

You might think about an article on helmet cam cyclists, as there are at least a couple about now;

http://www.youtube.com/user/deadlyspotvideos
http://www.youtube.com/user/cycledub

monument

SerialComplaint wrote: »

You might think about an article on helmet cam cyclists, as there are at least a couple about now;

http://www.youtube.com/user/deadlyspotvideos
http://www.youtube.com/user/cycledub

Thanks, funny enough I came across or more so stumbled across deadlyspotvideos' account yeasterday.

monument

Thank you to everybody who supported the paper!

It passed the 115% funding mark this morning so 10,000 copes are now due to be printed for Bike Week.

AltAccount

Great news, looking forward to reading it.

GypsyBiker

Hi, I've just signed up for these boards. I'm from Dublin and have been travelling around the world for the last 4 years. The frist 2.5 years was spent on my bike and I cycled from London to India, then Thailand, Laos, Thailand, flew to London then rode across England and Wales back home. I then cycled across the US to Vancouver and cycled down to Mexico.

I'm returning to Ireland in May to do a lap of the country by bike and then I fly to China in August and cycling from Beijing to Melbourne. I've got loads of stories and photos on my website: www.acousticmotorbike.com and I'd be happy for you to use any content as you see fit.
Aidan

Dipsomaniac

Good stuff Monument.

Saw you today and had a quick chat on Manor St. Looked like you were on a delivery for your newspaper. Great to see you got it out.

Keep up the good work:D

what_traffic

Got mine in the post today. Thanks monument. One-Way streets article was very good will be using that information here. Now how am I going to pull off wearing the "I <BIKE logo> Dub" t-shirt in Galway?

Stollaire

Found the paper very interesting and informative, liked the article about the cycle route up the quays to the Phoenix Park. Here's hoping an waiting....

I found the engineer's concerns for a backlash from motorists to be quite telling.

hardCopy

Picked mine up at Yestival on Saturday. It was encouraging to read that there are engineers within the council who recognise the importance of cycling keeping the city moving. Hopefully things will continue to improve after Andrew Montague hands over the chains as he has been exceptional bike friendly.

Copies sitting in the office canteen and coffee table at home, haven't worn my tee-shirt yet though.

The issue of multi-lane one way high-ways in the middle of the city needs serious work but I find it hard to imagine such a sea change in the city.

I escorted my girlfriend across the city on her bike for the first time at the weekend (she used to drive over with her bike or I would cycle over to her) and the two most difficult places to navigate were Westmoreland Street and the bottom of Capel St crossing to Parliament St. At both of these spots cars have a long clear straight to accelerate to the next light with no option for cyclists other than to take the lane, which is a daunting prospect for a new cyclist.

Where is this available?

monument

Dónal wrote: »

Where is this available?

A good few cafes and other places around South William Street, in Rathmines, and Rathgar. Also in Greenaer and Freewheeling both on or just off Pearse Street; in Square Wheel Cycleworks in Temple Bar; and Rothar Cafa on Fade Street.

On the northside so-far only in Cycleways and the cafe beside the Lighthouse (not the one in it!) in Smithfield.

I should have some at Greenaer's electric bike event which starts at the Beckett Bridge at 5pm this evening. Yesterday they were also handed out on the canals at the N11 and at Rathmines, and this morning at O'Connell Street southbound. And will also be at the lunch time cycle tomorrow.

Will do up a better list tonight and keep it updated.

galwaycyclist

what_traffic wrote: »

Now how am I going to pull off wearing the "I <BIKE logo> Dub" t-shirt in Galway?

Cue sound effect of knife being slowly and lovingly sharpened in the background ...............

Better give me the t-shirt I'll make it go away....

Better still next time we get Monument to give away "Tribes on bikes" t shirts

Doctor Bob

Are the three cyclists on the cover breaking the lights?

Anyway, nice job. Plenty of food for thought.

monument

Thanks everybody for the feedback.

Most of the cafes in Temple Bar now covered too. At least starting around the square and heading west to the council offices.

Doctor Bob wrote: »

Are the three cyclists on the cover breaking the lights?

No comment.

monument

List of locations so-far: http://cyclingindublin.com/2012/06/20/where-you-can-get-the-cycling-in-dublin-newspaper/]

Would be in more areas by now but I've been busy with Bike Week events and handing them out at peak times on some of the main commuter routes.

monument

monument wrote: »

List of locations so-far: http://cyclingindublin.com/2012/06/20/where-you-can-get-the-cycling-in-dublin-newspaper/]

List updated -- A lot more areas covered in the last two days.

At the evening rush hour today I was also covering the Phoenix Park up to when a ranger told me I was breaking some unknown bylaw. He said he could not quote or name what bylaw I was breaking and he would have to look it up. When I showed him the bylaws on my phone, he then went as far to claim that the brand url on my cargo bike was me engaging in advertising! Funny given the url was on the bike when I bought it and the side of the bike was not pointed so cyclists and motorists would see the url. He then claimed a newspaper was advertising (legally, its not).

I followed his instructions anyway and to cover myself on any possible claim of it being about littering I went to the Castleknock Gate to hand out more and had a good look out for copies anybody may have dropped. The Castleknock Gate was a less than ideal place -- bit of a mess of a place which has the potential to be much better for cyclists.

robertxxx

monument wrote: »

monument wrote: »

List of locations so-far: http://cyclingindublin.com/2012/06/20/where-you-can-get-the-cycling-in-dublin-newspaper/]

List updated -- A lot more areas covered in the last two days.

At the evening rush hour today I was also covering the Phoenix Park up to when a ranger told me I was breaking some unknown bylaw. He said he could not quote or name what bylaw I was breaking and he would have to look it up. When I showed him the bylaws on my phone, he then went as far to claim that the brand url on my cargo bike was me engaging in advertising! Funny given the url was on the bike when I bought it and the side of the bike was not pointed so cyclists and motorists would see the url. He then claimed a newspaper was advertising (legally, its not).

I followed his instructions anyway and to cover myself on any possible claim of it being about littering I went to the Castleknock Gate to hand out more and had a good look out for copies anybody may have dropped. The Castleknock Gate was a less than ideal place -- bit of a mess of a place which has the potential to be much better for cyclists.

got my copy from you this evening, didn't look at it yet, I will bring it into work so others can see it. Castleknock gate not great, a 2.5 ton 4*4 nearly ran over me trying to get into the park in front of me yesterday! Wrong side of the road stuff, If I caught up with him I'd make him a hat out of my bike!

BostonB

monument wrote: »

...he then went as far to claim that the brand url on my cargo bike was me engaging in advertising! Funny given the url was on the bike when I bought it and the side of the bike was not pointed so cyclists and motorists would see the url. He then claimed a newspaper was advertising (legally, its not)....

The only thing I can think of is commercial vehicles are not allowed in the park. Vans etc. You don't really ever see people selling or distributing anything either. Other than at official events.

That wasn't you wandering around Baggot St at lunchtime was it?

monument

robertxxx wrote: »

got my copy from you this evening, didn't look at it yet, I will bring it into work so others can see it. Castleknock gate not great, a 2.5 ton 4*4 nearly ran over me trying to get into the park in front of me yesterday! Wrong side of the road stuff, If I caught up with him I'd make him a hat out of my bike!

It's one of those locations that brings out mixed feelings: I would not use the footpath but can see why people do it here (motorists acting very aggressively in confined space and time and poor design in and out of the park, tiny bus lane ahead) and, at the same time, want to strange the people who use the footpath at speed or don't give people on foot the right of way.

BostonB wrote: »

The only thing I can think of is commercial vehicles are not allowed in the park. Vans etc. You don't really ever see people selling or distributing anything either. Other than at official events.

That wasn't you wandering around Baggot St at lunchtime was it?

Tried to explain the bike was for personal use and that the name/url on side of the bike was no different than the badge on the front of his van. At which point he tried to claim that because the newspaper contained advertisement that it was an advertisement (I just got frustrated at this point but would have loved to say something like: just because a sports event contains advertising does it make it an advertisement?).

I was covering the route one way or another, doing so inside the park just made sense because people have the extra room to take the paper on the go or stop and take one. While outside the park or at the gates isn't the most cycling friendly of places (which is partly a problem for the OPW given they want more people cycling).

Re Baggot St -- it likely was me.

monument

Was away for two weeks, but got over 8,000 out before going away and around another 1,000 this week.

List of locations updated, a lot more bike shops added (new ones in bold): http://cyclingindublin.com/2012/06/20/where-you-can-get-the-cycling-in-dublin-newspaper/