Positive feedback loop

November 8, 2007 3 Comments

“Life has become better and easier for cyclists simply because there are more of them”

[Ben Laurence in the Times]

Unfortunately the loop works both ways…

News Story

3 Comments → “Positive feedback loop”

  1. oonidh 4 years ago  

    Stan your statement ” Unfortunately the loop works both ways…” has been shown to be true by a CSO(Central Statistics Office) report released today! Ireland is going the other way. 15.11.2007 on the http://www.rte.ie Business Section they have the following news item

    22% more drive to work – report”


    The number of people driving to work by rose by over 225,000 between 2002 and 2006, an increase of 22%, according to a new report from the Central Statistics Office.

    Of the 1.7m workers in the State in April 2006, almost 1.1m (57%) drove a car to work – up from 55% in 2002.

    When combined……..

    The only positive result from the report was the number of rail users has dramatically risen – this is due to the two Luas lines (that do not meet) in Dublin. No statistics given on numbers cycling or walking to work/school.

  2. Stan 4 years ago  

    Thanks for the link Oisín — at least the Luas figures are heartening, and suggest strongly that more people would use public transport if it’s a half-decent service.

    No cyclist/walker numbers presumably because such entities don’t exist…

  3. oonidh 4 years ago  

    Yes unfortunatly you are correct re cyclists and walkers. CSO have published some tables that might be of interest re modes of transport.
    http://www.cso.ie/census/Census2006_Principal_Socio_economic_Results.htm
    -> Tables 19-30 Education and Travel

    Or click here to go directly to the relevant document.

    Most impressive figure in the document has to be “Table 24 Children at school aged between 5 and 12 years, usually resident in the State, classified by
    sex, distance travelled and means of travel to school
    ” There are 3 boys who travel 25 to 49 kilometres by Bike. That is a huge distance. They will be able to do a full Tour de France by time they are 18!!

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