Dublin Cycleway Projects Halted.

buffalo

tomasrojo wrote: »

http://m.rte.ie/news/2016/0905/814409-cycle-routes-dublin/

All the Sir Humphreys at the Department in the driving seat now.

Chief Executive Owen Keegan said that the National Transport Authority had not received the promised allocation for cycling and waking facilities from the Department of Transport.

Is this why Ross seems to be asleep at the helm?

magicbastarder

it's amazing how little money the irish government puts into issues like this, and the environment in general. i was astonished recently to hear what the annual budget of the NPWS is - €2.5m.

markpb

magicbastarder wrote: »

it's amazing how little money the irish government puts into issues like this, and the environment in general. i was astonished recently to hear what the annual budget of the NPWS is - €2.5m.

A handful of political hot topics get the vast majority of the money spent by government. Everything else is left to trundle along with the scraps. No-one ever asked a politician at their doorstep about funding for NPWS, Metro North, a cycle lane or an efficient local authority system. No politician ever got bad PR for giving extra money to schools, the health service or social welfare.

Chuchote

markpb wrote: »

A handful of political hot topics get the vast majority of the money spent by government. Everything else is left to trundle along with the scraps. No-one ever asked a politician at their doorstep about funding for NPWS, Metro North, a cycle lane or an efficient local authority system. No politician ever got bad PR for giving extra money to schools, the health service or social welfare.

All the more reason why we should get together and go out canvassing in specific targeted ministers' constituencies when the next election comes.

I canvassed, for the first time in my later life, during the marriage referendum. I don't know how much use I was, but it was an eye-opener on all kinds of things.

tomasrojo

It's actually one of the difficulties with addressing climate change; it's been effectively lumped in with "environmental" issues, which means one of those things that's nice to have if there's plenty of spare cash, and something of interest mostly to well-meaning middle-class types.

This happens a lot. A recent Planet Money podcast interviewed the inventor of modern fracking. He was quite upset that he was being criticised for the deleterious environmental effects (not all as bad as generally assumed, but it definitely undermined renewables), when he had been a scout and loved walking in the national parks. Though that was a very strange juxtaposition: it's completely possible, for example, to have no interest whatsoever in wildlife or nature walks and want to reduce fossil fuel use.

tomasrojo

I almost never get canvassers to my door. Once in a blue moon. Do other people get them most elections?

magicbastarder

ireland has always had a low interest in things ecological.
compare the memberships of the likes of birdwatch ireland with the corresponding organisations in the UK, and the UK per capita figures are at least ten times higher than in ireland (over 100 times in absolute terms). same for any of the other environmental organisations.
the budget of the park service in the states is over 1000 times the budget of the NPWS, but population differs by approx a factor of 100.

Chuchote

tomasrojo wrote: »

I almost never get canvassers to my door. Once in a blue moon. Do other people get them most elections?

I actually normally get one or two. The last time, I was so angry that I hid.

I live in what was known as the Soviet Socialist Republic of Dublin Central. Don't tell me it wasn't for that reason that we - five kilometres from the coast as the crow flies, four kilometres from the city centre, six kilometres from the mountains - are now part of 'Dublin Bay South', voting with the bourgeois, God bless 'em. So we're probably seen as a swing constituency.

Those canvasses I was on: the real thing that struck me was that when people heard the actual voice of someone who was going to be affected by their vote, it clearly moved them. I was constantly calling over the people I was canvassing with to talk to people, to say "I've been living with the man I love for 20 years, why shouldn't we be able to marry and commit to each other, and be able to see each other as next of kin when we're sick in hospital, and to buy a house easily together, and to inherit from each other…" When people heard this personal testimony, they grew thoughtful.

The same could be true for cyclists who canvass in areas where politicians are likely to have a big effect on our transport system. If people meet cyclists and hear their concerns - sure you're going to meet prejudice, just as the gay canvassers did in that last referendum, but you can change prejudice by talking politely and sharing your experience, and saying "Did you cycle to school when you were a child", and so on.

magicbastarder

i think i only talked to one canvasser at the last election, and it was a green party canvasser, who i sent away with a promise of a high preference. so i didn't get to talk to anyone from any of the parties i'd have the biggest issues with.

TomaszWX

How about doing this? If it worked in The Netherlands... Quote from Wikipedia article on "Cycling in Netherlands" (they won't allow me post links as I'm a new user, damn):

"The trend away from the bicycle and towards motorised transport only began to be slowed in the 1970s when Dutch people took to the streets to protest against the high number of child deaths on the roads: in some cases over 500 children were killed in car accidents in the Netherlands in a single year.[10] This protest movement came to be known as the Stop de Kindermoord (literally "Stop the Child Murder" in Dutch).[10] The success of this movement — along with other factors, such as the oil shortages of 1973–74[11] — turned Dutch government policy around and the country began to restrict motor vehicles in its towns and cities and direct its focus on growth towards other forms of transport, with the bicycle being seen as critical in making Dutch streets safer and towns and cities more people-friendly and liveable."

Do google search for "Netherlands cycling protests", impressive. I'd be ready to come with my bike and block the quays for a day or two, right there before the City Council building. Few thousand others and we might be heard.

Chuchote

TomaszWX wrote: »

How about doing this? If it worked in The Netherlands... Quote from Wikipedia article on "Cycling in Netherlands" (they won't allow me post links as I'm a new user, damn):

"The trend away from the bicycle and towards motorised transport only began to be slowed in the 1970s when Dutch people took to the streets to protest against the high number of child deaths on the roads: in some cases over 500 children were killed in car accidents in the Netherlands in a single year.[10] This protest movement came to be known as the Stop de Kindermoord (literally "Stop the Child Murder" in Dutch).[10] The success of this movement — along with other factors, such as the oil shortages of 1973–74[11] — turned Dutch government policy around and the country began to restrict motor vehicles in its towns and cities and direct its focus on growth towards other forms of transport, with the bicycle being seen as critical in making Dutch streets safer and towns and cities more people-friendly and liveable."

Do google search for "Netherlands cycling protests", impressive. I'd be ready to come with my bike and block the quays for a day or two, right there before the City Council building. Few thousand others and we might be heard.

Me too.

uphillonly

This may have been mentioned before but deserves more attention:

Georgian Parkway - parking protected cycle lanes in central Dublin. It looks relatively low cost & low impact. All these small schemes can add up to make a big difference.

https://youtu.be/925402H4XlI

http://www.thejournal.ie/cycle-lanes-dublin-2727755-Apr2016/?jrnl_af=1

Chuchote

uphillonly wrote: »

This may have been mentioned before but deserves more attention:

Georgian Parkway - parking protected cycle lanes in central Dublin. It looks relatively low cost & low impact. All these small schemes can add up to make a big difference.

https://youtu.be/925402H4XlI

http://www.thejournal.ie/cycle-lanes-dublin-2727755-Apr2016/?jrnl_af=1

Yeah, a brilliant initiative.

Another protected cycleway idea would be to have cycleways protected by rows of Sheffield cycle parking stands.

tomasrojo

Interesting comment. Depressing.

By: Mike McKillen
Listen to Cllr Paddy Smith on Newstalk’s ‘Right Hook’ yesterday about the DoTTAS cut in funding for essential cycling infrastructure. About 4 min into start of programme. It is Minister Ross’ decision.

http://irishcycle.com/2016/09/07/central-government-funding-cut-to-blame-for-dublin-cycling-projects-delay-says-city-council/

Chuchote

tomasrojo wrote: »

Interesting comment. Depressing.

http://irishcycle.com/2016/09/07/central-government-funding-cut-to-blame-for-dublin-cycling-projects-delay-says-city-council/

Can't find this Right Hook on Newstalk; they don't seem to offer whole programmes. All I can find for that day is a tourism piece about Beijing.

magicbastarder

Chuchote wrote: »

Yeah, a brilliant initiative.

Another protected cycleway idea would be to have cycleways protected by rows of Sheffield cycle parking stands.

i think this came up before, with lots of concern from cyclists that visibilty is a major issue in such schemes, especially from pedestrians walking between the parked cars.

Chuchote

magicbastarder wrote: »

i think this came up before, with lots of concern from cyclists that visibilty is a major issue in such schemes, especially from pedestrians walking between the parked cars.

Hmm, yes, obviously you get out of your car and need to get to the pavement.

tomasrojo

Severe fines ahead if Ireland doesn't curtail greenhouse gas emissions:

“Take the current capital investment plan which envisages twice as much spending on roads compared to public transport. Meanwhile, apparently there is nothing in the kitty for investment in worthy low-carbon projects such as cycle lanes, or indeed energy efficiency in homes,” he said.

“We need to decide if this is a credible approach in a carbon-constrained world,” Mr Curtin said.

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/ireland-could-face-5-5bn-climate-bill-by-2030-says-expert-1.2787535