Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Local Councillor wants to Ban big bike events from rural Galway roads

Options
1235»

Comments

  • Options
    #122
    Chuchote
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,368 ✭✭✭Chuchote


    crusier wrote: »
    There's a gap of about 50km between moycullen and Clifden , is that the gap your on about?

    The gaps I'm on about are along the part I've cycled, from Recess to Clifden.


  • Options
    #123
    Weepsie
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 20,536 Mod ✭✭✭✭Weepsie


    Galway K9 wrote: »
    On behalf of people in moycullen galway, please stop using the ****ing road and use the newly built appointed cycle path.

    That they don't have to use?


  • Options
    #124
    PeadarCo
    Registered Users Posts: 1,937 ✭✭✭PeadarCo


    brocbrocach wrote:
    He's been pointing out that the big sportives don't bring much benefit to most local areas that are affected, you don't seem to understand. A very small selection of sportive riders will stop during a 3-4 hour ride to have a coffee or buy a bar. Very few. Coffee. Once. On a c.100 km stretch of the countryside. You'd swear the average cyclist was like Catherine the Great, showering gifts on the grateful populace as she passes. ThisRegard mentioned that some people will rent a house in the local area for a week/weekend and that's a fair point but those houses might be rented without a bike event being on anyway. Nobody is having a go at leisure cyclists or clubs enjoying their usual spins, it's the full-blown, traffic-stopping sportives or "adventure races" that the councillor has the trouble with.

    brocbrocach wrote:
    He's been pointing out that the big sportives don't bring much benefit to most local areas that are affected, you don't seem to understand. A very small selection of sportive riders will stop during a 3-4 hour ride to have a coffee or buy a bar. Very few. Coffee. Once. On a c.100 km stretch of the countryside. You'd swear the average cyclist was like Catherine the Great, showering gifts on the grateful populace as she passes. ThisRegard mentioned that some people will rent a house in the local area for a week/weekend and that's a fair point but those houses might be rented without a bike event being on anyway. Nobody is having a go at leisure cyclists or clubs enjoying their usual spins, it's the full-blown, traffic-stopping sportives or "adventure races" that the councillor has the trouble with.

    I can't link to it at the moment as I'm on my phone. But an article in the Irish times on the Sunday the an post sean Kelly cycle that took place in Dungarven in 2014 said the event was worth 2 million to the local economy. So there is evidence that these events do contribute to the local economy.


  • Options
    #125
    Eamonnator
    Registered Users Posts: 6,561 ✭✭✭Eamonnator


    Galway K9 wrote: »
    On behalf of people in moycullen galway, please stop using the ****ing road and use the newly built appointed cycle path.

    Can you tell us more about this cycle path, please.


  • Options
    #126
    what_traffic
    Registered Users Posts: 4,971 ✭✭✭what_traffic


    Galway K9 wrote: »
    On behalf of people in moycullen galway, please stop using the ****ing road and use the newly built appointed cycle path.

    On behalf of people in Galway who use the roads, go jump in the Corrib.
    There is no cycle path. Its a shared footway. Only suitable for Children and the elderly on bicycles. Road/Sport Cyclists travel too fast to use this. It's a 50kmph stretch of smooth road anyhow.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #127
    Beasty
    Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 76,477 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    what_traffic wrote: »
    On behalf of people in Galway who use the roads, go jump in the Corrib.
    Keep it civil

    Thanks


  • Options
    #128
    mjp
    Registered Users Posts: 997 ✭✭✭mjp


    The councillors main gripe is that its galway city and not the local businesses that are benefiting from these events. Lot of these events are being based out of galway city with competitors staying in galway socialising there and spending their money there and making use of the roads and routes around Connemara to travel out there and return back to galway. The only benefit to these areas is the odd shop cyclists would have a stopover at.
    The onus is on the local communities in these areas is to arrange the events out of places such as clifden so that the locality benefits from the event and that the money is going back into local businesses


  • Options
    #129
    Bobeagleburger
    Registered Users Posts: 45,519 ✭✭✭✭Bobeagleburger


    N59 is a dangerous Road when there's a large cycle event and the roads are left open to cars. It's a dangerous road anyway at the best of times.

    These races or charity events where people are straggling all day on an open road are an issue.


  • Options
    #130
    Johnny Jukebox
    Registered Users Posts: 658 ✭✭✭Johnny Jukebox


    Connemara is a region whose most successful industry is the export of the young willing and able to the rest of the world.

    You would think a local politician would show some vision and realise that sustainable tourism offers a ongoing revenue stream and an opportunity for growth - there are numerous examples both in Ireland (e.g. Mayo greenway, Ballyhoura) and across Europe.


  • Options
    #131
    ThisRegard
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27,833 ✭✭✭✭ThisRegard


    brocbrocach wrote: »
    ThisRegard mentioned that some people will rent a house in the local area for a week/weekend and that's a fair point but those houses might be rented without a bike event being on anyway.

    I think that's debatable. After such events competitor's and their partners let loose. I think it was the Anglers Rest in Renvyle I was in one Saturday night after an event that ended in Clifden, a half hours drive away, and the place was heaving with competitors.

    Also take a look at Achil during what is now known as the Quest adventure race at the end of the summer, everywhere is packed and one of the hotel's used to run a great party.

    And it goes without saying what Westport is like after Gaelforce. Try get a table for dinner any night of that weekend, or elbow room at a bar.

    As a competitor you're always made feel very welcome at these weekends, businesses are only too delighted to see you, and your money.

    Hotels, B&bs, holiday homes, hospitality spots, none would have the same level of expenditure stepping in to replace those competitors. That councillor should be lobbying organisers to come there and make use of the splendid bit of the country they have there, not alienating them.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #132
    07Lapierre
    Registered Users Posts: 8,248 ✭✭✭07Lapierre


    brocbrocach wrote: »
    Hotel buys from Aldi or Lidl or Tesco i suppose. Farmer don't care, he just sells to the factory who don't work on a local basis.
    Yeah where they put their money is everyone's own business but the farmer will have little interest in adding to a rich stranger's pot, is my point.
    The farmer should be encouraging us to stay off our bikes and get fat, sell more quarter pounders!

    Only the freshest local ingredients.



  • Options
    #133
    Galway K9
    Registered Users Posts: 2,353 ✭✭✭Galway K9


    ohhh did i hit a nerve.The path is empty and still cyclists on the road holding up a huge length of cars.


  • Options
    #134
    Eamonnator
    Registered Users Posts: 6,561 ✭✭✭Eamonnator


    Galway K9 wrote: »
    ohhh did i hit a nerve.The path is empty and still cyclists on the road holding up a huge length of cars.

    How long is the path? Is it adjacent to the road or separate from it? Is it properly surfaced? Is it exclusively for the use of cyclists or shared with others?


  • Options
    #135
    Bobeagleburger
    Registered Users Posts: 45,519 ✭✭✭✭Bobeagleburger


    They missed a trick by not making the cycle path as part of the road whee it would be swept etc.

    It's not a bad surface but it's probably 2 mile long at a stretch.


  • Options
    #136
    Chuchote
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,368 ✭✭✭Chuchote


    A cycle lane should be protected and separate if cyclists are expected to use it — would you let your kids cycle on the Moycullen path? I haven't seen this path (photos would be nice), but if cyclists aren't using it, perhaps it's because it's unsuitable or dangerous for them?


  • Options
    #137
    07Lapierre
    Registered Users Posts: 8,248 ✭✭✭07Lapierre


    Galway K9 wrote: »
    ohhh did i hit a nerve.The path is empty and still cyclists on the road holding up a huge length of cars.

    Cyclist choosing to ride on the road instead of on a purpose built track? what does that tell you? It tells me that cyclists will use cycle paths if it is fit for purpose. If it's not been used, there may be a reason cyclist choose not to use it.


  • Options
    #138
    BremoreDave
    Registered Users Posts: 87 ✭✭BremoreDave


    Galway K9 wrote: »
    ohhh did i hit a nerve.The path is empty and still cyclists on the road holding up a huge length of cars.
    How many cyclists? How many cars are held up? What is the average time delay per journey?
    You should also ask the cyclists why that particular cycle lane is unsuitable.
    If we can gather this data it would make it easier to petition local council for proper infastructure to ease this congestion.


  • Options
    #139
    galwaycyclist
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,912 ✭✭✭galwaycyclist


    Galway K9 wrote: »
    On behalf of people in moycullen galway, please stop using the ****ing road and use the newly built appointed cycle path.

    On behalf of the cyclists of Galway stuff your cycle path. The device in Moycullen is a profoundly stupid and incompetent design to have used at that location.

    If you have a problem then you will have to go back to the council and get them to widen the road.


  • Options
    #140
    what_traffic
    Registered Users Posts: 4,971 ✭✭✭what_traffic


    RoboKlopp wrote: »
    They missed a trick by not making the cycle path as part of the road whee it would be swept etc.

    It's not a bad surface but it's probably 2 mile long at a stretch.

    Agree with ya RoboKlopp but it is not 2 miles? It is barely 1km in length. (On the approach from the Galway side to Moycullen.) The southern side is dangerous to use as a cyclist as have very HIGH walls and lots of houses with driveways out onto the footway/footpath.


  • Options
    #141
    galwaycyclist
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,912 ✭✭✭galwaycyclist


    Chuchote wrote: »
    A cycle lane should be protected and separate if cyclists are expected to use it — would you let your kids cycle on the Moycullen path? I haven't seen this path (photos would be nice), but if cyclists aren't using it, perhaps it's because it's unsuitable or dangerous for them?

    It is stupid design. Its a shared use footpath that dips up and down at driveways and with poor treatment at junctions but you couldn't let kids use it either way because they get dumped back into the traffic before the village proper.

    Most of the cyclists going through Moycullen are roadies out training they haven't a notion of using something like that.

    There is a good hard shoulder much of the way out but instead of following through with that road layout the council have made a complete dogs dinner of the road.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #142
    what_traffic
    Registered Users Posts: 4,971 ✭✭✭what_traffic


    Galway K9 wrote: »
    ohhh did i hit a nerve.The path is empty and still cyclists on the road holding up a huge length of cars.

    So what. Let them wait for a minute or too. What do you expect with bad design? As @galwaycyclist pointed out to ya, go to Galway Council if ya have a problem with it and want it changed.


  • Options
    #143
    07Lapierre
    Registered Users Posts: 8,248 ✭✭✭07Lapierre


    Some classic examples here:

    http://irishcycle.com/2015/11/05/images-25-reasons-why-cyclists-dont-use-cycle-lanes/


  • Options
    #144
    diomed
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,744 ✭✭✭diomed


    Green Peter wrote: »
    Most of these events take place in the summer when the population and traffic in these areas increase hugely, try booking a room in Clifden in July, try driving to Clifden in July when there's 20 cars in a row behind a coach and then throw in a few cyclists of the ignorant variety, you'll soon know what he's on about.
    I gave statistics for the summer, Saturday 18th June.
    That day it was about 4 cars a minute average on the main Galway - Clifden road, and probably one car a minute at the Clifden end.
    I used NRA traffic statistics. You used your imagination.
    Perhaps the politician should try to ban coaches and cyclists and other summer visitors?


  • Options
    #145
    Galway K9
    Registered Users Posts: 2,353 ✭✭✭Galway K9


    Ok, thanks for clearing that up. I was confused as to why it wasnt part of the road like Knocknacarra and in Dublin (Blue Tracks)


  • Options
    #146
    Bobeagleburger
    Registered Users Posts: 45,519 ✭✭✭✭Bobeagleburger


    what_traffic wrote: »
    Agree with ya RoboKlopp but it is not 2 miles? It is barely 1km in length. (On the approach from the Galway side to Moycullen.) The southern side is dangerous to use as a cyclist as have very HIGH walls and lots of houses with driveways out onto the footway/footpath.

    Yeah, I probably overestimated the length alright.


  • Options
    #147
    galwaycyclist
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,912 ✭✭✭galwaycyclist


    Galway K9 wrote: »
    Ok, thanks for clearing that up. I was confused as to why it wasnt part of the road like Knocknacarra and in Dublin (Blue Tracks)

    No probs. Bear in mind that nobody in here takes any pleasure in watching local councils p**s away peoples taxes on pointless infrastructure.


  • Options
    #148
    endagibson
    Closed Accounts Posts: 382 ✭✭endagibson


    brocbrocach wrote: »
    we don't want you on our roads.
    Such arrogance.


  • Options
    #149
    Chuchote
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,368 ✭✭✭Chuchote


    Still thinking about the fella with the drawing pins. I mean, there I am sauntering along slowly on a nice cycle around the friendly, welcoming mountains of Connemara with their kindly folks. Up ahead, An t-Uasal Tyre-Burst is impatient to pass a cyclist, so he accelerates around him with a screech of brakes, goes on 200 metres and, cackling, throws a handful of carpet tacks out the window of the car. The cyclist's tyres burst and he brings his bike into a friendly welcoming Connemara cottage, where the kindly locals provide him with a basin of water to use mending his punctures, and cupán deas tae to calm his hurt and frightened heart.

    I come along behind, and while I don't go very fast (reached 15km/h yesterday! Woohoo!) I hit the tacks, fall off my bike on to a road covered with sharp pointy pins, and I prepare to walk my bicycle to the nearest town, my broken arm hanging down.

    It's not always as simple as self-entitled-driver vs arrogant-cyclist.


Advertisement