Cyclist.ie, comprising Ireland’s cycling lobby groups

http://cyclist.ie/

Cork Cycling Campaign

http://www.corkcyclingcampaign.com/

Dublin Cycling Campiagn

http://home.connect.ie/dcc/

Limerick Cycling Campaign

http://limerickcycling.blogspot.com/

Maynooth Cycling Campaign

http://www.thphys.nuim.ie/cycling/

Skerries Cycling Initiative

http://www.skerriesca.com/cycling.htm

Waterford Walk Cycle Initiative

http://www.wwcc.emeraldhef-ie.org/

*Data from 1996 Census and Atlas of
Galway, secondary school figures are for 1998, third level for 1999/2000

Travel by vulnerable modes in Galway
city

The 1996 census lists following proportions
for trips to school, college and work by the vulnerable modes in
Galway city (foot, cycle and motor cycle)

• Travel by vulnerable modes: Trips to School
  
  
  
  

  
  

  • Children Aged 5-12:                         37.4
    %

  
  

  • Students Aged 13-18:                      47.7
    %
  
  
  
  

• Travel by vulnerable modes: Trips to College
  
  
  
  

  
  

  • Students Aged 19 and over:      
         81.5 %
  
  
  
  

• Travel by vulnerable modes: Trips to Work
  
  
  
  

  
  

  • Persons at work aged 15 and over: 30.0 %
  
  

Parking in Galway

• There are at least 10 “no bicycles” signs in Eyre Square, there
  is one municipal bike rack.   It has eleven spaces
  and is of a “wheel gripper” design that can damage bicycles
  and leaves them vulnerable to theft or vandalism.  In a
  1998 submission the GCC requested it’s removal, in 2001 it’s
  still there.

• Recently the Corporation installed a different, but still unapproved, rack design in
  the Maingurd St, Spanish Arch areas, these allow the frame to
  be locked but do not properly support upright bicycles which fall
  over. The design has also been identified as a trip hazard to
  pedestrians.
  

• There are 1,000 “on street” and 3,000 “off street” car parking
  spaces in Galway city.
  

Galway’s Roads Network 

• Galway Corporation has imposed road and junction types with
  a design speed of 60 mph or higher at locations where the stated
  speed limit is 30 mph and where there is mixed traffic of all
  modes.
  

• 
  

  There are currently 13 multilane roundabouts in the City, the
  accident rate for cyclists on these roundabouts is 14 to 16
  times that of motorists. The accident rate for motorcyclists
  is only slightly lower than that of cyclists.  A national
  study on Irish roundabouts from 1987 raises serious reservations
  about using them where high numbers of two wheelers are expected.
   A Foras Forbatha report in 1979 raised the issue of the
  safety of cyclists in Galway and the roundabouts that were then
  proposed for the city.  Galway corporation was fully aware
  of these issues when they built a further five roundabouts on
  the new Western Distributor road.  More roundabouts are
  planned for the Seamus Quirke rd.

• Even within predominantly residential areas Galway Corporation
  has a policy of actually specifying the use of road junction designs
  that unnecessarily endanger and inconvenience pedestrians and
  cyclists.
  

• It is corporation policy to impose “cycleways” of a design
  that results in a baseline 50% increase in the rate of car/bicycle
  collisions. (Rising to a tenfold (x10) increase in some circumstances).
  

• There are only 14 signal controlled junctions Galway City, not
  all of these signalised junctions include pedestrian phases. There
  are only 10 signalised pedestrian crossings
  

• At some specific locations in the city any cyclist who attempts
  to use the “cycleways” in the manner directed by the accompanying
  signs can expect to incur a tenfold (x10) increase in the risk
  of car/bicycle collision.

• There are no fixed speed cameras anywhere in Galway City or
  County.  In fact to our knowledge there are no fixed speed
  cameras anywhere in the west of Ireland.
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  

  Galway Corporation has an established practice of refusing
  to implement road safety measures such as traffic calming even
  when specifically requested by local residents.

• There are 130 miles of roads in Galway City, up until 2000 there
  was only one road (Murrough Avenue) that had any (2) municipally
  provided speed ramps.
  
  
  
• At least one major cycling tour operator refuses to bring groups
  to Galway City by bicycle on grounds of road danger.
  

c/o Galway One World Centre, Bridge Mills, Galway, Ireland.

e mail: galwaycyclist@yahoo.co.uk

Website Admin: james@galwaycycling.org

* Safer conditions for cycling
* Planning that gives equal priority to all road users
* Improvement of existing facilities
* Secure parking for bikes
* Recognition of the rights and responsibilities of all road users by all road users

When people think of cycling safety such things as cycle lanes and cycle tracks automatically spring to mind, the thinking behind such segregated facilities is often based on the premise that the roads cannot be made to work for all road users.

Unfortunately cycling safety is a complex issue governed by many different factors. Total segregation is often impossible to achieve and partial segregation can make matters worse, unless you also try to make the roads work for all road users, clearly a circular argument. For this reason many cycling activists now prefer to focus primarily on other issues such as speed limits and speeding by motorists, road designs (especially junction layouts,), traffic calming and so on. Increasingly there is the issue of whether motorists should have a more clearly defined duty of care towards more vulnerable road users.

Another issue which is becoming more prominent concerns the fact that it continues to be legally permissable to import, to purchase, and to use, cars that are designed to break Irish law. Since our formation the GCC has made it our business to gather as much information as possible on what currently constitutes best practice in transportation planning and in “Road Safety”. This information is then used to draw up position documents on a range of issues, which are then submitted to relevant local and national authorities. We are constantly monitoring the situation for cyclists in Galway City and reviewing the implications for cyclists of all new developments.

In order to do this work effectively we need to have “eyes and ears” everywhere. Thus, we are always on the look out for new members and volunteers.

If you are interested in getting involved then contact us via the GCC, c/o The Galway One World Centre, Bridge Mills, Galway.