Cycling in Dublin

BYPAD Audit Results

BYPAD (Bicycle Policy Audit) was developed by an international consortium of cycling experts as part of an EU-funded project as a tool to measure the quality of cycling policy in towns or cities. To date, it has been carried out by over 100 towns, cities and 18 regions across 21 countries and serves as a reference of good practice. The final report for the 2011 BYPAD Audit of Dublin City Council was recently compiled and the scores in the nine modules are presented below:

As can be seen from the graph, improvements have been made in each category. Since 2007 a cycling policy has been produced, a Cycle Forum has been established, a Cycling Officer position was created, the 30kph city centre speed limit was introduced and a series of Bike Week events were run in 2009, 2010, and 2011.

Grand Canal Cycle Route update

The Grand Canals Cycle Route is an ambitious project which will eventually provide an orbital cycling route around the city centre and also tie in to an existing route that extends all the way to Adamstown. The current phase of construction along the Grand Canal between Grove Road and Grand Canal Square is underway and I’m sure many of you have noticed the new cycle track and cycle signals on display. Work is still in progress on the cycle route and it is anticipated that it will be finished in February/March 2012 and the signals put into operation. Further updates will be posted on this website as soon as there is any change in the situation.

Bike like a Bear – The Great Movember Outdoor Cycle

To celebrate Moustache Season in style, Bear and Greenaer, a company located just off Pearse Street providing smart transport solutions with the aim of improving commuting, are hosting the inaugural Bike like a Bear Mo Ride in Dublin on 26th Movember. Starting at Greenaer, this fancy dress ride will take participants on a tour of the urban jungle of Dublin as Mo Bros and Sistas come together to roam proud for the day. If you would like to take part in the cycle and  support Movember in its battle against prostate cancer, why not make space in your calendar this Saturday to take a fun and rugged bicycle tour through Dublin’s urban jungle!

When: Saturday 26th November

Start: 2.00pm at Greenaer (Map) 12A Magennis Place, Off Pearse Street

End: 5.00pm at South William Street (Map) – with bites and drinks

Dress Code: the Great Outdoors – Animals, Poachers, and Huntsmen welcome

A prize will be awarded to The Wildest, Most Outdoorsiest costume!

To participate please join the Mo Team or contact Greenaer by email at bikelikeabear@greenaer.ie.

We are looking forward to seeing all you mo bros and sistas!

Ever have you bike stolen?

While overall crime rates are falling, bike thefts have increased by a significant 54% since 2008.  In many cases, the frustration of having your bike stolen can be compounded by the difficulty encountered when trying to provide the necessary information to the Gardaí such as serial number, sales receipt etc. Although bike theft can still be reported, without the identification details the chances of reuniting a stolen bike with its owner are very slim.

To combat this problem, ThinkBike, a bike shop based in Rathmines, are launching a new service called ThinkBike Security, which will provide a database of important information such as:

• The serial number of your bike
• A photo of you, the customer, with your new bike.
• A copy of your purchase receipt.

With this information there should be no questions over ownership.

The service is available to all customers who purchase a new bike at ThinkBike and also all past customers. The service will also be available to non-existing customers for a small charge.

With ThinkBike Security customers can provide proof of purchase, serial number and photo to the Gardai and Insurance Companies and customers would be more likely to get their bikes back once they have been recovered by Gardai.

To find out more about this security initiative, check out the ThinkBike website

Bicycle Skills and Obstacle Course Challenge

Dublin City Council is organising a cycling safety challenge and obstacle course at the Finglas Civic Centre, Mellowes Road on Wednesday November 2nd (click for map) from 2.00pm to 4.30pm. There will be a mega bicycle skills and obstacle course with some onsite training to be in with a chance to win a BMX prize for the best time and the most improved on the circuit. Angelcruisers, the latest in beach cruiser bikes, electric bikes, child carriers and many more will be on display. The Council will be distributing high visibility jackets to young people on the day to promote safe cycling.

Mobility Week Event

As part of Mobility Week 2011, Dublin City Council staged a Living Streets festival around the Dame Court area of the city. The festival closed the street to traffic for the day and reimagined how the space could be used in a living streets context. The living street was adorned with grass, trees and a variety of stalls. The main event took place later in the day when an evening of film was brought to the audience thanks to the pedal-powered cinema!

Win an iPad at Dublinbikes User Survey

Dublin City Council recently adopted a longer-term strategy for the expansion of the dublinbikes scheme. As part of the expansion process Dublin City Council are seeking the thoughts and opinions of dublinbikes users and members of the public on the dublinbikes scheme. Many thanks for taking the time to complete this survey, your feedback and suggestions are very important to the dublinbikes scheme and its future expansion. By completing this survey you will be entered into a prize draw for an iPad.

Please follow the link below:

http://www.delve-surveys.com/dublinbikes

***The prize draw for this competition has taken place and congratulations go to Mr Richard Mitchell who won the iPad.***

Sky Ride Dublin – The Second Best Day of my Life!

Sky Ride Dublin 2011 from Sky Ride on Vimeo.

On Sunday 11th September, some 8,500 people took to the streets of Dublin on two wheels  for the first ever Sky Ride Dublin, making it the largest group cycling event that Ireland has ever seen. Lord Mayor of Dublin Andrew Montague officially opened the event, joined by An Taoiseach Enda Kenny, the Sky Ride Dublin ambassadors Nicky Byrne of Westlife and stylist Lisa Fitzpatrick, and Team Sky pro cyclist Russell Downing.

Almost 8km of Dublin’s streets were closed to cars, giving people of all ages and abilities a unique chance to ride their bikes freely around the city centre with no traffic. The free event, hosted by Sky in partnership with Dublin City Council, allowed riders to take in the route at their own pace whilst enjoying some well-known landmarks including Merrion Square, the Pepper Canister Church, Grand Canal Square, Samuel Beckett Bridge, the National Convention Centre, and the Custom House. Participants were treated to a whole host of activities and entertainment throughout the day along the route, with performances from local buskers, demonstrations by RampRage BMXers, and the Sky 3D ‘outdoor living room’ experience.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin Andrew Montague said: “Dublin prides itself on being a cycle friendly city, but rarely do we see so many cyclists together as we’ve seen today at Sky Ride. Well done to everyone involved here today.”An Taoiseach Enda Kenny said: “I’m happy to come along and see so many people participate in this event. The benefits are obvious – for young people in a city, there’s learning how to cycle in a group with no traffic and for families it’s an opportunity for good healthy exercise. I’m all for that!”

Sky Ride Ambassador Nicky Byrne commented: “It’s been a fantastic day here at Sky Ride Dublin with people of all ages getting back on their bikes and enjoying cycling around on traffic-free streets. I hope that all 8,500 people that have taken part today will be inspired to start cycling more regularly and continue to have fun on two wheels.”

The final quote of the day comes from one of the younger participants of the day, 8 year old Mr Flor Holden, who commented that the Sky Ride was the second best day of his life! Although we just missed out on the top spot, this is high praise indeed, and is what the Sky Ride family event is all about.

Lord Mayor Launches Cycle Counter

We are pleased to announce the recent installation of a Cycle Counter at Grove Road, which was officially launched by the Lord Mayor Andrew Montague on 20th September 2010. The counter displays the number of cyclists that have passed by that day and also gives the cumulative total number of cyclists that have passed since the launch. The data is obtained by nearby detector loops, located in the ground under the cycle lanes, and then passed on to the counters. This information is very useful for traffic planning and pays recognition to the fact that “if it isn’t counted, it doesn’t count”.

The image below shows some of the totals recorded during September.

Bicycle Security

Most bike thieves in Dublin are opportunists and are on the look out for soft targets. These tips may help you hang on to your bike

• All locks are not made equal.  As a general guide think about spending around 10% of the value of the bike you are trying to protect on a lock.
• The tools used to force rigid U locks and flexible cable or chain locks are different and most thieves don’t carry both. Consider using a combination for maximum protection.
• Lock your bike to something secure and don’t lock it to a part of your bike which can be easily removed such as wheels, staddle posts or carriers.
• Lock your bike as snugly as possible – slack locks are easier to lever apart.
• Avoid locking your bike in places where thieves can work unnoticed. If you are in town try out the free bike park on Drury Street which has security on site and is CCTV monitored.
• Always lock your bike even when it’s parked somewhere secure – bikes are regularly stolen from hallways, back yards and garages.
• Lots of stolen bikes are recovered but there is often no way to locate the owner. Take a few photos of your bike and record the serial number of the frame. The serial number is usually stamped on the frame under the bottom bracket (near peddles).
• Bike theft is serious – always make a formal report of bike theft at your local Garda station.