Dublin City Council are looking at contraflow lanes across the city, The Irish Times reported recently.
The areas which the council may install contra-flow cycle lanes, include: Steven’s Lane, Watling Street, Westmoreland Street / D’Olier Street, Moss Street, Leinster Street South / Nassau Street, Clarendon Street area, St Stephen’s Green, Baggot Street Lower and Merrion Row, Leeson Street Upper, Camden Street, and Parnell Street. The Irish Times have a map on their article page, here.
The Times also reported that:
But Fine Gael councillor Edie Wynne said the move would have to be given some thought. She said at 3 per cent cyclists were not very representative of modal choice in Dublin. “Ninety-seven per cent are choosing another way”, she said.
Fellow Fine Gael councillor Gerry Breen said he would urge caution, remarking that numbers of cyclists in the city were one third of those who chose to walk. He said councillors should remember the 34 per cent of people who made a modal choice to use their car, or those who used rail, bus “or the 9 per cent of people who chose to walk”.
The councillors are, however, wrong: The numbers of commuter cycling in the Dublin City Council area was, according to the 2006 census, 5.4%.
Cllr Edie Wynne represents Pembroke / Rathmines areas of Dublin. According to the 2006 census, in Pembroke cyclists accounted for 5.6% of commuters, and in Rathmines the figure jumps to 9.4%. In Cllr Gerry Breen’s area of Clontarf, cycling was at 6.5% of commuters. Cycling in Dublin has — according to the Canal Cordon Count — grown by a large amount since the census, there was a 74% increase in the last four years.
Gerry Breen should also note that in his area, almost 18% of commuters simply walked. The Dublin City Council area was even higher at 27.5%. And for Pembroke / Rathmines walking accounted for 26.4% / 30.6%.
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Can someone tell me what happened to this plan ? Are there some contraflow lanes installed ?
The plan seems to have stalled.
If you live in the city and want it to go ahead try contacting your local councillors asking them to push the issue with the council.
Now, I don’t live in Dublin. I am trying to push something similar in my town, so I am looking for experiences around the globe, to show them to my town traffic-officers.
Thanks anyway.