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.
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.
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.
As Dublin City Council prepares to open sections of the new Grand Canal cycle track, a new signalling system is being introduced for the first time in Ireland:
Challenge yourself to make a difference as part of an adventure to remember. Enjoy this incredible experience which challenges you to get fit and raise much needed funds for the Alzheimer Society of Ireland.
The Cuba Cycle Challenge 2011 will take place from the 6-14th November 2011.
This will be the third year we run the Cuba Cycle Challenge, and this year we have a brand new route offering our participants the journey of a lifetime! On this fully supported trip you will experience some the most beautiful views and historical sites Cuba has to offer and there is no better way to soak it all in than by bike. Also escape the winter blues of Ireland in November to the glorious semi-tropical climate averaging at around 27⁰C at this time of year!
Here are just some of the trips highlights:
· A walking tour in Trinidad with Caribbean Beach Lunch Stop
· Ché Guevara’s Mausoleum
· Hike to Caburní Falls, deep in the Escambray Mountains
· Old Havana walking tour, a UNESCO world heritage site
· A visit to a traditional Cuban Music Venue
To really see what the trip is like click here to view our CUBA CHALLENGE VIDEO!
The terrain is undulating with some steep inclines and downhill descents with a distance totalling 260km over 4 days of cycling. The longest day of cycling is 79km. But in the evenings relax in good quality hotels, all with swimming pools! Training notes will be provided to get you into tip-top condition!
The trip is fully supported with a dedicated team including a Blazing Saddles Cycle tour manager, a fully qualified Cuban doctor, a Cuban national cycle team mechanic and an English speaking local tour guide and a support vehicle available at all times.
Over the past two years our cyclists have raised an impressive €120,000 for families in Ireland struggling to cope with the devastating condition of Alzheimer’s disease. By signing up you too can help these families to obtain the services that they so urgently need
For further information please call Emily on 01-207-3816 or email ebrew@alzheimer.ie
Grand Canal Square is located in the south Docklands area, just beside the Samuel Beckett Bridge. The location map illustrates some routes you could take to get there.
For those of you planning to use a Dublin Bike, check out the map below which shows some of the Dublin Bike Stations near to Grand Canal Square.
On Wednesday 22nd June, Dublin City Council will host a public “Lunchtime Bike Ride” in the city as part of Dublin City Council’s Bike to Work Day initiative @ 12.45 from Grand Canal Square.
Be part of this fun event and be in with a chance to win prizes – the Best Company Team (most people from one organisation), will win lunch at ely gastro pub (vouchers to the value of €10 for each member of the team) and a bottle of Isotonic Non-Alcoholic Erdinger on the day! To enter the Best Team competition simply contact us @ www.dublincitycycling.ie/contact with the name of your Company, the number of members in your team, and the name of your team contact.
There are also prizes for Best Dressed male, Best Dressed Female, and for the best dressed bike! The first 500 people to register will get a goody bag filled with cycling enthusiasts gadgets and everyone who registers online is in with a chance to win an Apple iPad2.
The 2011 Bike to Work incentive is aimed at ALL employers and employees working in Dublin City to encourage them to adopt this increasingly popular method of transport. It reported that 40% of car journeys in Dublin are less than 5km. Since the introduction of the Dublin Bike scheme, which is the most successful of its kind in the world, the city has seen an increase of 30% of people travelling by bike. Bicycle-friendly businesses can benefit from encouraging employees to cycle to work, as research has shown that those who cycle to work are less frequently ill and average less absenteeism than colleagues who do not cycle.
The leisurely lunchtime cycle through the streets of Dublin, will take in the Samuel Beckett Bridge, City Quay, Merrion Square, The Pepper Canister Church and part of the new Premium Cycle Route along the Grand Canal.
To help celebrate this year’s Bike to Work Day, we thought it would be interesting to post some videos of bicycle journeys in the city. So if you have a video camera and want to share your experience, upload it with the tag ‘biketoworkdublin’ on Youtube or Vimeo and we’ll link/embed a few of them here.
It can be your daily commute to work or college, going down to the shops or just how you get around. Show us your bike journeys and if you want to add some commentary or music to them, all the better. It’s up to you!
To get us started here’s a video sent in by Dan Coghlan called “Getting Around”:
Unfortunately the David Engwicht European Tour, “Art of Place Making & Creating Resilient Cities”, has been cancelled. As such, the Dublin Workshops scheduled for 26th and 27th May will not be going ahead.
Dublin City Council can now accommodate problem reporting through their website thanks to the introduction of a new online application . Using the self-service portal, members of the public can quickly and conveniently report any number of problems such as graffiti, abandoned vehicles, illegal dumping, etc. Problems specifically affecting cyclists such as damage to road surface, overgrown branches/roots, or debris can also be reported using this facility. All submitted requests are given a Service Request Number and you can subsequently keep track of the request by entering this number in the search box. The Self-Service Portal can be accessed from the www.dublincity.ie homepage by clicking on More Online Services…>>Report Online or by using the following link
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.”
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