Cycling in Irish Cities
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aha ctesiphon, there was me thinking you were an “Uncle Tom” cyclist but it seems you’re a rebel at heart 😀
one of us, one of us, gooboo gaaboo, one of us…Black spots; lots but ones that immediately spring to mind: coming onto Stephen’s Green from Hume Street, the Matt Talbot bridge to Moss Street (already mentioned), cycling through College Green can be dodgy – particularly going from Pearse St to Dame Street, the junction at Christ Church is awful for cyclists, basically anywhere optimised for motorised traffic flow – e.g. Beresford Place, pretty much any right turn but especially on multi-lane one-way streets (one-ways are generally bad because drivers seem to go faster).
However, the most dangerous situations for cyclists are not specific to location, in my opinion. The worst situations are left turning cars when the cyclist is going straight ahead, cars pulling out of minor roads and doors opening on parked/stopped cars. My intuition, from experience both as a cyclist and a driver is that you’ll probably never be hit from behind by a car – it’s the cars on front of you that are the danger from a cyclist’s point of view. Even for a good driver it is easy to miss the fact that a cyclist is behind you or alongside you but you’ll always notice one on front of you. As a result, even though it may seem contradictory, you are generally safer IN FRONT of the traffic. Therefore, for example, at a red light I will always squeeze between lines of cars to get to the front of the junction (especially a multi-lane dodgy junction like the one at Christ Church) before the lights change – in this way I’m guaranteed to be seen by the cars waiting to go and will be given due consideration. I also will assume that no driver in front of me has seen me and cycle defensively on that basis. This is also the reason why rear view mirrors are useless on bikes.
Shhhhhhh jimg, you’ll blow my cover! 🙂
That’s a very good point about general danger. I fully agree with you about the examples cited, i.e. left-turning cars, cars exiting from side roads and doors opening (on the last one, I think tinted/reflective windows, and maybe even oversized headrests on seats, should be banned, as they obscure a cyclist’s view of the driver or passenger who might be about to open a door). I’d add to your list cars coming in the opposite direction and turning right across stationary traffic- bikes on the inside will still be moving, especially if there’s a bike lane, but cars just sail on through. My brother ended up on a car bonnet on Pearse St a couple of years ago for just this reason.
And your point about behind/in front is spot on too. I’ve often wondered what the value of a back light is (and I do have one)- wouldn’t we be better with two front ones?When I mentioned black spots, I was thinking of specific locations that are particularly bad- we’ve established by now that city cycling is a dangerous habit. Not to knock your suggestions, Richards, all of which are on the money, but more along the lines of your Stephen’s Green one was what was on my mind. I guess what I was thinking of was trying to establish a kind of catalogue of spots at which we must pay extra attention.
Turning right from Leeson St onto SSG- the merging is a disaster, so I usually lurk among the ‘bollards’ between the two streams until a break occurs.
As you mention, jimg, Pearse to Dame requires a brass neck and a (speed) kick like a mule.one of my favourite spots for bad cycle lane design (which i haven’t cycled on in two years, so it may have changed) was where the off-road cycle path dropped down onto the road on the inside of the bend where the lower kilmacud road took a 90 degree swing.
@jimg wrote:
Therefore, for example, at a red light I will always squeeze between lines of cars to get to the front of the junction
it annoys the hell out of me that where space in front of the cars has been designated for cyclists to wait at lights, that most drivers simply ignore this and sit over the area.
Watching cyclists battle it out in the city over the past few days – really and truly I am in awe of you all!
How you return in one piece to post here I do not know 🙂St Stephen’s Green seems to be a disaster all round – specifically why does the cycle lane along the Green south outside Iveagh House etc suddenly come to an end round about outside the (new) Dept of Justice?! It just cuts out to nothing, leaving the cyclist with nothing between here and the junction with Harcourt St!
And on the doorstep of the offices of the DTO!So I see 22nd September is EU car-free day. I see also that Dublin is not participating. Presumably they think nobody can be “In town, without my car!” for a day, or even a few hours. Congrats to Cork and Dundalk though, for at least trying.
I guess we’ve done alright without DCC’s help for long enough now, one more day won’t hurt. Are they afraid it might give us… y’know… notions?Contra Flow Cycle Lanes
Here are a few locations which – in my opinion – scream for insertion of a contra flow cycle lane. If anyone else has other suggestions, please add them. The route from the Ambassador, O’Cll St. up to Walton’s, Frederick St. as suggested by Conk earlier would I suppose be another.
In all of the cases below, there are cyclists using these ‘shortcuts’ every few minutes (though some get off and walk).
I’d like to stress, though, that by saying contra flow lanes are needed in these locations, I am in no way saying that you can make a few improvements to cycling conditions in Dublin and everything will be fine. The reality is that the overall situation for cyclists in the city is so grim as to warrant a redesign of every single street where traffic runs.
Upper Camden Street
The straight road between Rathmines and the city must have one of the highest rates of cycle-commuting in the city. But when you are going in the City-to-Rathmines direction, you have to make a daft circuitous route at the top of Lower Camden Street – or else do this (above). Even in the pissing rain yesterday, a cyclist was heading up here against the flow about every two minutes.
Parnell Street
To get from the ‘multi-plex’ area of Parnell Street to O’Connell Street / the next bit of Parnell Street, you have to go right around Parnell Square – or else make this irresistable shortcut; but with hostile traffic coming towards you.
South Leinster Street
Again, the cyclist arriving in from Ballsbridge etc. and destined for Grafton Street, Dame Street, or anywhere else in the centre is not going to make the fume-choked circuitous route around by Westland Row / Pearse Street in order to get there. (Most cylists coming into South Leinster St. like this are coming from Clare Street, but this one (above) is coming from Lincoln Place, also against the traffic flow.)Another Raon Rothar classic. Cyclists are forced to partially dismount in order to negotiate the sudden 90 degree turn. No warnings; just a ton of concrete plonked on the path.
The footpath has been closed with temporary blue hoardings so cyclists should expect to see some confused pedestrians all shuffling past the informative concrete block.
Cripes Morlan- that sure is a fine example indeed. And not just concrete anti-terrorist blocks in the way, but well-meaning photographers too. 🙂
Devin-
Those are some good examples of locations for contra-flow lanes. However, each has a couple of problems. First, it would take more than just laying some red tarmac to turn them into bike lanes. The junction leading to each would also require a comprehensive redesign to allow bike traffic free passage onto the lane. I’m thinking specifically of the Bleeding Horse, where one or other traffic stream is always moving, and where bikes would have to cross four or five lanes to access any contra-flow.
Secondly, installing a bike lane at all of the locations mentioned would require permanently removing kerbside parking- what are the odds?
As you said yourself, nothing short of a comprehensive redesign would suffice. I think we’ve established by now that this piecemeal intervention mentality of putting in bike lanes only if they fit (and don’t upset the cars) has not worked.
However, as long as Eoin Keegan is in charge at DCC I think it will be an uphill battle. I get the feeling that cycling provision is too much of a headache for him- witness his Velo-City comments in May about the bike lane network having failed. No, Mr Keegan, it is you who has failed.
Maybe DCC need a cycle planning officer?Because Dublin City Centre is one big complex of one-way streets all controled by Traffic Lights it is almost imposable to put in place comphrensive 2-way cycle lanes. This would require an expensive rethink on how traffic flows thru Dublin.
I am not so sure that the so called cycle frendly Owen Keegan would be prepared to accept such radical change since the cost could be quite large and every lobby group such as ibec, truckers, Dublin Bus etc are all asking for better traffic flows, no tolling, bus lane usage etc.
I do think the idea of a kind of cycle czar would be a good idea for Dublin. – A good first step
Do contraflow bike lanes require a kerb to separate bikes from car traffic? It would seem dangerous to cycle against traffic without it.
Excerpt from an Irish Times article by Paul Cullen from early June (forgot to note the date on my cutting).
TRANSPORT AND TRAFFIC CHIEFS CLASH OVER PROMOTION OF CYCLING IN CITY
The head of the Dublin Transportation Office, John Henry, and the director of traffic at Dublin City Council, Owen Keegan, have clashed over the city’s efforts to promote cycling.
Mr Keegan yesterday criticised the promotion of cycle lanes, saying they had failed to achieve their primary objective of halting the decline in cycling.
Promoting cycle lanes was the most controversial traffic measure promoted by the council, with “huge levels of opposition” from the general public, he told the Velo-City conference on urban cycling.
Mr Henry said Mr Keegan was being pessimistic and expressed confidence that “we’ve turned the corner” in relation to cycling numbers. Increased investment in recent years in a 300km network of cycle lanes around the city would eventually encourage more people to use bicycles as a means of transport.
Mr Keegan said an exclusive reliance on improving cycling infrastructure “does not work”. While the publichad accepted and were often enthusiastic about improvements in pedestrian and bus facilities, this was not the case with cycling infrastructure.
Reducing the number of car lanes to facilitate the installation of cycle tracks at busy junctionshad resulted in massive opposition.
Local politicians stood for election every five years and there was a limit to the number of “unpopular interventions” that could be imposed on them, Mr Keegan told a conference debate on transport in Dublin.
“We have failed to sell the cycling project to the general public. They have bought into other aspects of traffic management but not into cycling.”
Cycling was suffering a haemorrhaging of young users and if this continued, “there won’t be any cyclists because young people won’t know how to cycle”.
I said it in my first post to this thread, but maybe it bears repeating- cycle lanes must be provided in the interests of cyclists (rather than to facilitate motorists) and they must be maintained. It’s poor design, lack of respect by other road users for the lanes, broken glass, parked cars etc. that are off-putting for potential users. Solve those problems and I’d venture a change will come. It’s not a case of providing the bare minimum, it’s a case of making it an attractive option- a viable alternative.
Even if people get a bus from home to town, they could still use a bike for around-town travel. This might interest IBEC- there’s an economic advantage to be gained from bike lane provision, not just the economic problems they see in reduced car access to the city centre.I would imagine that some kind of kerb or bollard would be required to seperate cyclelanes and general traffic.
Often wondered do people ever use cycle lanes to cycle in the ‘wrong’ direction, and have you found it to be safe?
Is there any rule against this?@ctesiphon wrote:
…However, as long as Eoin Keegan is in charge at DCC I think it will be an uphill battle. I get the feeling that cycling provision is too much of a headache for him- witness his Velo-City comments in May about the bike lane network having failed. No, Mr Keegan, it is you who has failed.
Maybe DCC need a cycle planning officer?Just a correction]’“we’ve turned the corner†in relation to cycling numbers'[/I]. – We have in our feckin arses! Cycling in Dublin is becoming a more minority practice every day. And the way the tired old km quantity of cycle lanes is wheeled out – as if it were in itself a measure of success – ‘300km’ – 300km of cycle lanes squeezed in at the edge of the dirty, unhealthy, unpleasant and dangerous environment that the city’s roads are.
I was also pleased with Keegan’s comments because they tallied with the findings of a recent An Taisce report which I worked on – Dublinspirations – which noted that although a fairly comprehensive network of cycle lanes had been introduced on arterial routes over the past seven years, cycling in Dublin remained an oppressive and treacherous experience compared to other European cities, and that a total rethink was necessary.
As Keegan says, cycling has not been sold to the public.
I cycle between Dalkey and Leaporsdtown and there are a good few cycle lanes, including the crappy one from Whites Cross and its amazing the amount of people who go the wrong direction on them. I don’t think they’re even aware of what they’re doing. It’s esp. prevalen when the cycle lane is part of the footpath. The latter never work very well, pedestrians are always walking in them blissfully unaware. They’re actually quite dangerous.
Correction duly noted, Devin. Cheers.
However, I still have concerns about Owen Keegan’s comments, as he seems to be saying “We’ve failed, and that’s that,” rather than “We’ve failed so far, but there is a solution.”Re cyclists going the wrong way on bike lanes- I often wondered if some cyclists think that bike lanes are actually designed to facilitate this practice, i.e. they think cyclists going in the direction of the traffic should be on the road and that ‘with flow’ lanes are supposed to be contra-flow lanes for them.
Either way, I do see an awful lot of it (and, as I said above, I even do it myself for about 30m. of the N11 every morning).@ctesiphon wrote:
Owen Keegan…seems to be saying “We’ve failed, and that’s that,” rather than “We’ve failed so far, but there is a solution.”
Yes, I too would like to hear more about what he thinks actually needs to be done. The section on cycling in the council’s Development Plan contains objectives to improve things as you would expect, but doesn’t, I feel, convey the gravity of the situation. It starts off with: “Cycling has the potential to transform the city’s quality of life…” (bolding added) ..hmmmmm.
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