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Coca-Cola Bikes

I8A4RE

Does the organisation running the bikes advise customers how to use the bikes correctly? I saw a customer cycling on the footpath near Finns Corner and then proceed to cycle down the cycle lane in the wrong direction?

How/who allowed these bikes to end up taking parking spaces on South Mall and opposite College of Commerce? The city centre will be dead in a few years.

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Milly33

now look were seeing sense...Think you should save your parking money and get the whole family registered for the bike scheme maybe it will make you feel better

FrStone

TINA1984 wrote: »

No one forced you to live in an area with limited public transport.

So we should uproot communities that have been in existence long before traffic was ever a problem. What is happening in reality is that most people living in these areas are avoiding town as much as possible and instead doing there business in the shopping centres in mahon and ballincollig.

Going Strong

clerk wrote: »

l'm not being smart but it wasn't actually wet at all for the hour or two I was there and it was mild enough too for February. I then went straight up to Mahon Point and had to park in the overflow car park. Town was dead though - hardly my fault, l was in there buying some stuff.

As for the parking spaces my point is the lack of a plan B, it was only recently that on another thred someone was telling me that there was plenty or parking of South Mall for the new development on the Beamish site. There's very limited parking on South Mall and now there's even less. l'm waiting for someone to tell me we're all going to cycle into the event centre now.

I actually cycled to college for 4 Years back in the Day and l've no issues with bikes per se. In fact l avoid Patrick street in the car like the plague due to the very Cork tradition of trying to ram your car with their bodies. Hell - l might even use these bikes the odd time.

Cork City centre is an odd one. I live not too far out (15-20 minutes walk) so pop in and out at all odd times. There never seems to be any pattern to how busy or empty the place can be. A balmy summer Saturday morning and it's like a ghost town or a wet and windy Wednesday in April and it's crammed. Talking to people working in shops and they say the same - it's unpredictable.

The only constant refrain I get is from people who live in the greater Cork catchment area who get the notion that the city centre is like Damascus, only worse, when it comes to violence and thuggery - mostly thanks to lurid media nonsense.

pwurple

Ah jeez, Cork is very safe. Honest to goodness I have only ever seen a tiny bit of trouble, and that was 3am after clubs are getting twisted people out. Daytime it's really fine. Roma beggers alright, but no-one aggressive.

Compare that to Dublin, where I've walked out of the train station and come across Mr Junkie shooting up on the side of the street within about 3 minutes.

j8wk2feszrnpao

OP, don't worry about the scheme. It's not going to affect the city in a negative way (I see it as a good thing when done right). There are far bigger factors (i.e. rates) that will influence the running of the businesses in the city centre.
There remains plenty of car parking options in the city for anyone that wants to drive in.

cgcsb wrote: »

International experience the world over shows that cars kill cities with congestion and suburbanisation, with L.A being the key example.

Was in LA last year. Saw no bikes (only out by Malibu). Drove straight into the centre in little time; got immediate parking opposite the Chinese Theatre. If there's a terrible congestion problem in LA, I didn't notice it there over three days.

cgcsb wrote: »

Cycles bring vibrancy to cities, see Amsterdam.

I agree about Amsterdam, but it's not Cork and isn't a good example.

TheChizler

cgcsb wrote: »

Did you consider the possibility that the person on the bike has no other safe way of going due to non-existent cycling facilities?

In fairness unless your mammy still dresses you in the mornings there's no excuse for cycling on the footpath.

Going Strong

TheChizler wrote: »

In fairness unless your mammy still dresses you in the mornings there's no excuse for cycling on the footpath.

As a pedestrian, it's one of my pet hates.

Milly33

It would annoy me too but not as much as bloody joggers on the road,bugs the crap out of me...

TheChizler

Going Strong wrote: »

As a pedestrian, it's one of my pet hates.

As a person who cycles (when my bike isn't missing parts, I should really fix it...) it's one of my pet hates.

SpaceTime

I don't get this overblown notion that loss of maybe 20 car parking spaces in the whole city is a big deal. Most of the bike stations went in on already paved areas not car parking anyway and the pavement works around the edges of of of the city centre eg Lower Glanmire Road at Kent Station are very welcome developments.

It's not Manhattan or London and you've a load of car parking options in town that people don't seem to even consider.

I park at the City Hall or up at the multistorey on Western Road. There's also often tons of parking on Wellington Road and slightly south of the city centre too.

You don't need to park in Brown Thomas. I think part of the issue is people from "down the country" who have small town mentality that means you park outside the shop you're going to. Cities don't work like that. You'll have to either park very slightly outside the city centre and walk a whopping 3 to 5 mins or use park and ride.

I genuinely don't find Cork parking difficult or challenging at all but I rarely attempt to park in the city centre.

I really think the road infrastructure in Cork is as good or better than most similarly sized EU cities. It's not possible to redesign old cities like this for cars. They're built as pedestrian and public transit spaces and are best used that way.

What needs to be improved is the bus network. Things like having more frequent services, use of back doors, encouragement to use leap cards and maybe Luas style "trust" system ticketing would help.

Use of BRT or even limited use of trams would be great too.

pwurple

Sort the bus network is right. Two goddamned 202's sailed past me this morning with SORRY BUS FULL on the front of them. Very handy guys.

cgcsb

munstermagic11 wrote: »

Was in LA last year. Saw no bikes (only out by Malibu). Drove straight into the centre in little time; got immediate parking opposite the Chinese Theatre. If there's a terrible congestion problem in LA, I didn't notice it there over three days.

Obviously you weren't paying close enough attention, it's a sh*t hole with no centre

munstermagic11 wrote: »

I agree about Amsterdam, but it's not Cork and isn't a good example.

Why is it not a good example? because you don't agree with the outcome?

j8wk2feszrnpao

cgcsb wrote: »

Obviously you weren't paying close enough attention, it's a sh*t hole with no centre

Calm down. Just giving my opinion on it from the three days I was there. Not sure why you've to get so upset over it.

cgcsb wrote: »

Why is it not a good example?

Why not?
It's extremely flat, unlike Cork.
It has a culture of cycling, unlike Cork.
It has less rain and less days of rain, compared to Cork.

cgcsb wrote: »

because you don't agree with the outcome?

What outcome are you on about? How did you manage to jump to a conclusion that I'm not happy with it when I didn't even comment on it?

I'm happy that the new bike scheme came Cork, and I hope it can be implemented correctly for all users. I no longer live in the city, but I'm signed up anyway.

54kroc

I thought Amsterdam gets more days of rain than here?

j8wk2feszrnpao

54kroc wrote: »

I thought Amsterdam gets more days of rain than here?

Not from the data I've seen.
It been a while since I posted it.

Edit, found it.

munstermagic11 wrote: »

54kroc

You're spot on, I was full sure I was right.

Paz-CCFC

54kroc wrote: »

You're spot on, I was full sure I was right.

You were possibly thinking of the overall average of Ireland or the average in more sheltered parts of the country in the midlands/east/northeast. They'd be more comparable to the averages in the Netherlands. About 770mm annual rainfall in Amsterdam vs 780mm in Dublin. The Dutch complain as much as we do about the rain.

Cork is a bit more at 1,200-1,300mm a year. There are more days of rain in Ireland, but that also means that there are plenty of days where the rain is light or infrequent to the extent that it wouldn't be a problem. I walk to work every day and very rarely would the rain be so heavy that I'd have to take the bus. An umbrella for walking and a water proof clothes for cycling and it's grand. You'd have to bring a change of a shirt/t-shirt or pack your suit up and change when you get there, but it's not really a lot of hassle.

Subpopulus

munstermagic11 wrote: »

It's extremely flat, unlike Cork.
It has a culture of cycling, unlike Cork.
It has less rain and less days of rain, compared to Cork.

On the whole, Cork is reasonably level. I cycle from St. Lukes to Carraigrohane daily and 90% of my journey is flat as a pancake. 5% is downhill, and 5% is uphill on the way home. Cycling actually has a 4% modal share for the area around St Lukes - Ballyhooly Road, which is actually reasonably high - it's around 2% in Blackrock. So hills aren't the insuperable issue most people think they are.

Saying that Cork has no culture of cycling is an odd argument, the answer to which is - so what? Is that a reason not to try and create one? In any case, there was a culture of cycling until relatively recently. The 1986 census was the first to record travel modes, and cycling made up 8% of all commuting journeys in Cork. Some areas like Ballyphehane had a 22% modal share for cycling. In 2001 it was about 1.5% to 2%. In 2011 that was 2.5%. Now it's probably greater than 3%, and rising fast.

Notably, cycling had already seen major decline by the 80's. Cycling probably made up a quarter or a third of all trips in Cork back in the 50s and 60s. In the 1970s, cycling levels in Ireland were almost the same as in the Netherlands. Except The Netherlands decided to build bike infrastructure and we didn't. Cycling levels climbed in The Netherlands, and plummeted here.

The rain argument is one I don't buy. I've cycled across the city daily since October, I've never missed a trip because of rain and I've never been soaked once. A bit damp now and again, but nothing bad. I use the rainfall radar to time my journeys to hit breaks in the rainfall, and you realise that light rain is not a problem at all with a good coat. Use mudguards too.

54kroc

nah I was just wrong!
Those of you who cycle into work are you able to take a shower when you get there?

Subpopulus

54kroc wrote: »

nah I was just wrong!
Those of you who cycle into work are you able to take a shower when you get there?

No. There's no need. Unless you're extremely unfit, cycling massive distances, or you're going extremely fast and overexerting yourself, then I don't see how you'd get so sweaty so as to need a shower. Just take it easy, or wear lighter clothes. Millions of people cycle daily in Denmark and the Netherlands and don't have to shower as soon as they get to work.

54kroc

Subpopulus wrote: »

No. There's no need. Unless you're extremely unfit, cycling massive distances, or you're going extremely fast and overexerting yourself, then I don't see how you'd get so sweaty so as to need a shower. Just take it easy, or wear lighter clothes. Millions of people cycle daily in Denmark and the Netherlands and don't have to shower as soon as they get to work.

I'm wondering if people who cycle to work have an option to take a shower?

cgcsb

munstermagic11 wrote: »

Calm down. Just giving my opinion on it from the three days I was there. Not sure why you've to get so upset over it.

Perhaps it's a communication barrier inherent to internet forums. I wan't getting upset with you.

I apologize if it came across as such.

munstermagic11 wrote: »

It has a culture of cycling, unlike Cork.

Indeed, one which didn't develop over night. And one which can be fostered in many locations.

munstermagic11 wrote: »

It has less rain and less days of rain, compared to Cork.

It's not that much drier, in fact summer time in Cork is probably drier. Besides a bit of hazy rain is probably better cycling weather than the biting cold of Stockholm or Copenhagen where cycling is a year round activity.

cgcsb

I cycle to work taking it handy in about 20 minutes. On the way back there's a massive hill so I'd be a bit out of breath getting home, but would hardly be bucketing sweat.

Thepikapi

I think it's important to point out that the Dutch didn't bring in bike lanes until the seventies after several fatal bike accidents that killed alot of children and teenagers, it forced their cities to put in the effort to make roads safe, I've a feeling we won't get a good system until lives are lost or limbs are broken.

j8wk2feszrnpao

Subpopulus wrote: »

On the whole, Cork is reasonably level.

Not when compared to Amsterdam, which was the point I was making.

Subpopulus wrote: »

Saying that Cork has no culture of cycling is an odd argument

Not when compared to Amsterdam, which was the point I was making.

Subpopulus wrote: »

The rain argument is one I don't buy.

Perhaps not for you. But when I did cycle to CIT, I suffered number colds as a result (particularly compared to when I drove when I returned later in life).

j8wk2feszrnpao

Subpopulus wrote: »

No. There's no need.

If you're damp and wet, you can suffer from that (I went through that in my previous post).
Had a work colleague who cycled to work, a healthy and fit guy, he stunk a lot of the time; until the manager finally raised it with him.
For some people there's a need.

j8wk2feszrnpao

cgcsb wrote: »

It's not that much drier, in fact summer time in Cork is probably drier.

Based solely on the stats (and speaking with friends of mine who been there), Amsterdam gets a lot less rain.

My point about the increased rainfall, the hills of Cork, and our low level of cycling numbers; is that it's adds to the difficulty of getting people in Cork to transfer to a bike.
It not impossible, and the bike scheme is a great way to help.
Hope that we continue to see improvements in this area.
I'm in Carrigtwohill, so would love to see nearby towns get something as well when heading for the city; the Glounthaune route is a pothole-fest, and the dual carriageway is a 120km danger-fest.

pwurple

54kroc wrote: »

I'm wondering if people who cycle to work have an option to take a shower?

There is a shower at work, but I've never used it.

It's a flat cycle of about 6-7 minutes. So, about the same exertion as a walk to the shop for milk. I don't jump in the shower after that either.

54kroc

pwurple wrote: »

There is a shower at work, but I've never used it.

It's a flat cycle of about 6-7 minutes. So, about the same exertion as a walk to the shop for milk. I don't jump in the shower after that either.

I don't work in the city so I was just genuinely curious.
I do think it's a pretty great option though, If by some chance I did work in there I'd be quite happy to cycle in every day regardless of weather once I had the option to have a quick wash when I get in.

pwurple

54kroc wrote: »

I don't work in the city so I was just genuinely curious.
I do think it's a pretty great option though, If by some chance I did work in there I'd be quite happy to cycle in every day regardless of weather once I had the option to have a quick wash when I get in.

I guess I've always lived in a city, so it's even a bit weird to me that people don't know how cycling to someplace works. The vast majority of my friends cycled or walked to school most days. Hope my kids will too, once they are big enough.