However, I don’t agree that our cycle lanes are deathtraps or that it is simply too dangerous to cycle in our cities. Particularly in Dublin. The key to improving safety is not in the design of bike lanes, it is in improving junction design and lowering speeds.

While it can be difficult to convince people that it is safe to cycle in Dublin, the accident figures show that there has been a dramatic improvement in the safety record in the capital in recent years. The number of serious accidents have decreased from 284 in 1997 down to 90 in 2007. The numbers cycling were at roughly the same levels in 1997 and 2007. There has also been a similar percentage reduction in serious injuries to pedestrians. So it’s not some statistical anomaly.

The reality is that it’s never been safer to cycle in Dublin.

The biggest danger to cyclists is being hit be a left-turning HGV. There has been a reduction of about 95% in the number of HGVs in the city since the HGV ban was introduced in 2007.

Studies show that people who cycle regularly live an extra 10 years of healthy life. I would ask the question: Is it safe to drive?

Having recently moved to the US I have seen much safer cycle lanes, where they share the road with busses, the cycle lane is on the OUTSIDE, so the turning busses DON’T injure or kill the cyclist and they are more visible to the driver of the bus. More often than not planning ensures that this sharing is kept to a minimum.

Lets be honest here too, how many times have you seen a bicycle in the city with it’s wheels kicked into total uselessness. If you want people to cycle then you need places to park them where they won’t get vandalised or stolen - a kind of secure lockup simmilar to multi-storey car parks. Without a stub to proove you parked your bike in it, you will not be allowed remove it without proof of ownership.

Next you need proper Right of Way laws…
1). All traffic stops for any cyclist or pedsetrian.
2). Any cyclist stops for any pedestrian.

Pedestrians have right of way over any bicycle (Next in the heirarchy) which has right of way over any car.

As far as I can see cycling is simply too dangerous, the lanes are poorly positioned for the most part, there almost nowhere to park it up safely unless your office provides it.

Tried the aim at the pedestrian on the Sunday spin - glad I unaimed and am able to type this morning.

separately, we need a density of paths around the cities, ideally with a curb so that they are clearly distinguished as a bicycle path to itself and not just some spray paint on the ground (which deters nobody from driving in them).

@sarah has a very good point, a carriage on the trains or luas catering to bikes could be done as a cheap experiment (if done for a short time with a stripped out carriage) and then see what numbers start to use bikes for longer distances.

for my part I’ll continue to get knocked down due to pedestrians who travel erratically irrespective of cycle paths, i’ll remain a sui-cyclist.

I have no problems with cars, buses, boats, trains, trams, planes, space-ships, pedestrians …. in Holland - but those Dutch bikers terrify me as I anxiously look down and around to see if I’m on a ped-path or a bike-path - a road or a frozen canal. Not only that - but must also look out for the spear-thrower who may be sitting on the handlebars, the crossbars, the carrier-basket, or the mudguard waiting to pick off the first pedestrian who dares to freeze in the middle of a bike-path - terrifying, truly terrifying ….. and all those pavlovian bells are a nightmare …

Do I actually agree with Richard Tol? I’m shocked.

Getting rail and bus services to more easily allow bikes on them would be a better idea than intercity bike routes. The scenic bike routes are a good idea too.

Getting rail and bus to more easily allow bikes on them.

You’ve just experienced normal Irish begrudgery.

I was really impressed by special cycle rack carriages on the S trains in Copenhagen. Definitely an example to follow. I believe that shower rooms are pretty common in workspaces there too.

There are a few urban design philosophies that Ireland should start taking seriously; Transport orientated development and New Urbanism to name two I have come across recently. ( I am a layman in these areas).

Due to the construction collapse, this is an unfortunate time to talking about new buildings, but we need to come up with a well thought out plan for the future.

Dutch pedestrians don’t do that, probably because they have been hit by a bike in the back once too often.

http://www.shared-space.org/

I’ve no problem with people cycling slowly on the pavement, or cycling fast on the road, but I don’t see that the pavement should be converted to a race track for a handful of yuppies to whizz past pedestrians. When are we to relax for goodness sake?

We need a plan that focuses on shifting short commutes from car to bicycle, not this inter-urban plan.

I note the powerpoint slide has pictures of on-road cycle paths, something Galway City Council and Dublin City Council are against. Instead they favour the “paint a white line on the footpath” approach. Indeed there is talk of Ireland’s *worst* cycle lane becoming a model for the country. See the link below. Take note in the photos, that at entrances to housing estates motorists must give way to pedestrians but cyclists must give way to motorists.

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

@BigEnd
In the Netherlands, bikes stick to the right (just like cars) while in Germany, bikes stick to the left (unlike cars). In both countries, pedestrians have learned to walk in a straight line, something the Irish seem to be incapable of.

However, not everything is rosy. For the most part they’ve just widened the footpaths and painted a white line down the middle. There are a number of problems with this. As well as a cyclist I’m also a pedestrian. I walk a lot, with my dog. Generally the cycle lane is on the outside nearest the roadway with the pedestrians being obliged to walk on the inside. That would be fine if the briars, trees, hedging etc were maintained by the council, but they are not. So this forces the pedestrians out into the cycle path causing frustration and danger for both.

The other problem I have is that there are no ‘rules of the path’. On cycle/footpaths where there is no dividing line, which side should the respective cyclist/pedestrian be?

Whilst cycling on the cycle lane, which side of the path should I be on - left or right? I meet other cyclists on either side comming against me. Are there written or unwritten rules in the Netherlands or Denmark?

Any middle or long distance journeys involving bicycles are mostly going to be multi-modal and therefore emphasis should be on the integration of the various modes, ie trains, LUAS, DART, buses etc.

The NRA should be focusing on this and better layout of cycling lanes on roads, particularly junction layouts.

Here’s an overview of the Dutch network: http://holland.cyclingaroundtheworld.nl/

http://www.visitdenmark.com/uk/en-gb/menu/turist/inspiration/aktivferie/cykel/cycling.htm