Cycling in Dublin

DCC Beta tests new cycle parking

The guys in DCC Beta, the council’s drive to test new ideas out, have installed new temporary cycle parking on Capel St beginning July 2nd. It’s outside number 25 which is midway up the street from the quay. There’s no commitment in terms of how long it will be there as it’s a beta project. For more information please see the Beta blog here.

Bike Week 2012

Its that time of year again! National Bike Week 2012 will start on Saturday 16th June and run until Sunday 24th June. There will be lots of events around the city including a Bike Festival on Fade Street (Saturday 16th June), a Lunchtime Bike Ride on Bike to Work Day (Wednesday 20th June), and a Pedal in the Parks Day (Sunday 24th June). Please open the pdf here for more details on all the events taking place over the week.

Bicycle Security

Most bike thieves in Dublin are opportunists and are on the look out for soft targets. Following the advice given in the video above and the tips below 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.

On Yer Bike

The guys from LeCool produced this short video to mark the opening of our Canal Cycle Way. Thanks guys:

Canal Way Cycle Route opens

Dublin’s Lord Mayor Andrew Montague and Minister of State for Public and Commuter Transport Alan Kelly TD officially opened the Canal Way Cycle Route on Thursday 22nd March. You can find a map of the route along with information on the new junctions for the Canal Cycle Way here.

“The numbers of people cycling in the city have increased by over 70% since 2004. As the Canal Way Cycle Route is off-road it’s ideal for families, young people and also visitors. Cycling is a healthy, cost effective and easy way to get around Dublin and I am sure the route we are opening today will be very successful” says Lord Mayor Montague. Minister Kelly said: “This is among the best off-road cycle routes within a major urban area in the country and will benefit both commuters and tourists alike and make Dublin much more cycle friendly. The Canal Way Cycle route shows exactly the type of project to help achieve the Government’s intention to have 10% of trips to work being made by bike by 2020.”

Dublin City Council is also announcing plans for ‘Cycle Dublin’ a continuous Canal Way route including over 14km long crossing the city along the Grand and Royal Canals. You can view a map of the existing and proposed routes below:

View Cycle Routes Dublin (Present and Future) in a larger map

FEEDBACK: If you wish to provide feedback, please comment here or message us on Twitter (@dubcitycouncil) using the hashtag #gcanalcycle

Using junctions along the Canal Way Cycle Route

The Canal Way Cycle Route is due to officially open on the 22nd of March. It’s a mainly off-road cycle route connecting Portobello with the Docklands. Here’s some FAQs on the new adjusted light sequences along the route:

As a cyclist do I have to share the Canal Way Cycle route with other traffic?
The Canal Way Cycle Route is mainly segregated so as a cyclist you won’t share the route with pedestrians or motorists. The only exceptions to this are Grand Canal Quay and Forbes Street, but these streets have a very low volume of cars. However at junctions, cyclists will have to interact with pedestrians and cyclists. Special cyclist signals have been introduced at some junctions.

Where are these junctions located?

• Portobello Bridge
• Charlemont Bridge
• Leeson Street
• Baggot Street
• Herbert Place
• Mount Street
• Pearse Street
• Sir John Rogerson Quay
• North Wall Quay at Samuel Beckett Bridge

What traffic signals do the junctions have?
There will be traffic signals for three types of road user – motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. As well as a main traffic signal (for motor vehicles) they will have separate traffic signals for both cyclists and pedestrians. The signals for cyclists and pedestrians will operate at different times – this gives cyclists and pedestrians more time to cross the junction and reduces the potential for collisions.

How should cyclists use these new junctions?
Cyclists should stop at the appropriate stop lines when the cyclist traffic signal is red. Please note that to allow pedestrians to cross, this line is before rather than at the junction. The following video explains how to cross safely without interfering with motorists or pedestrians:

Step 1
All red
Main traffic signal, cyclist and pedestrian signals are red. All motor vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians are stopped.
Step 2
Pedestrian signal goes green (‘Green Man’)
Pedestrians only begin crossing. Cyclist signal and main traffic signal are red so all other traffic is stopped.
Step 3
Green man flashes and cyclist signal flashes amber (Flashing ‘Green Man’ and flashing ‘Amber Cyclist’)
Pedestrians complete crossing but pedestrians who have not begun to cross must wait. Cyclists can begin crossing but must yield to pedestrians. All vehicle traffic signals remain red.

Step 4
Cyclist signal goes green (‘Green Cyclist’)
Only cyclists can cross the junction now. The pedestrian signal and the main traffic signal are both red.
Step 5
Cyclist signal goes to steady amber (‘Amber Cyclist’)
Cyclist completes crossing if already on the junction. Cyclists arriving who have not begun to cross must wait stop at the appropriate stop line. Pedestrian and main signals remain red.
Step 6
Cyclist signal goes red (‘Red Cyclist’)
All cyclists are stopped. The main traffic signals will now go to green for road traffic and, following that, the sequence returns to Step 1. Cyclists MUST wait before the cycle stop line until the sequence starts again.

If you wish to provide feedback, please use the comments below or message us on Twitter (@dubcitycouncil) using the hashtag #gcanalcycle

Bike Friendly Businesses

Kudos to the Gravity Climbing Centre in Inchicore – arrive by bike and you get a free cup of coffee. This newly opened indoor bouldering centre has something for everyone – from complete beginners to climbing experts. You don’t need loads of special gear for bouldering and you can rent shoes from the on-site climbing shop/café.

I think we’ll run a competition for the most bike friendly business in Dublin City. Nominations to this blog please and we’ll make the award during Bikeweek 2012 (June 16- 24). Gravity Climbing Centre currently in the lead

Check out www.gravityclimbing.ie

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.

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