Is it worth it anymore..... ?

greenspurs

ED E wrote: »

Cuffe(DCC) is moderately ok but Ross is useless. Really need a minister with a getting things done attitude.

There isnt one that is willing to stick up for cyclists , for fear of alienating themselves from their voters that drive ! :rolleyes:

Mooooo

greenspurs wrote: »

Yes the majority of tractors drivers, are unaware/uncaring about whats stuck behind them.
But the 16yr olds , and adults also, that drive are tweeting/snapchatting/instagramming/facebooking/texting certainly arent aware. ...
(cliche for cliche)

I'd disagree,majority around here anyway would pull over and it's mainly contractors with modern machines that are on the road, the slower older tractor is a rare enough site. One of the bigger issues I see when motorists come up behind tractors, and indeed lorries, is they drive up the hole of the trailer and the driver of the tractor/lorry with trailer cannot see them and in turn the motorist is too close to get a good view beyond the tractor/ lorry and then sits there effecting those behind. Live in the country, been on the road with 15 years and once have I been held up by a tractor in my memory for any length of time, Sunday drivers not knowing where they're going have held up more traffic round here.
All road users should be aware of the blind spots of others

CramCycle

Mooooo wrote: »

is they drive up the hole of the trailer and the driver of the tractor/lorry with trailer cannot see them

Overtaking on the motorway on Saturday, would have been finished the overtake in about 30 seconds, I see a car flying along the overtaking lane, probably tipping north of 150kmph. He gets so close to my bumper that i actually lose sight of his lights in my side view mirror. If I let off the accelerator or feathered the brakes for some unexpected reason, there would have been two more fatalities on the road this weekend. Finish the overtake and he nips by and I was convinced he nearly rear ended a taxi who was doing the same as me further up the road. He had to slam on his brakes, there could not have been more than 6 inches between the bumpers.

Some people are so mentally disconnected from what they are actually doing, they cannot see the stupidity of their behaviour.

Just to be clear, when I started the overtake, there were no cars behind me in the overtaking lane for as far as the eye could see.

CramCycle

Ibrahim Millions Railroad wrote: »

You lived in the country for years and left with extra time to account for animals and machinery. May I ask what country. Rural people are notorious for being late and I am one.

Longford, I am constantly late now since moving to the city. I got caught out in my youth, I learned. People move animals, machinery is moved etc. Depends on time of year, winter being better but conditions being worse. It is much of a muchness. Some country people are notorious, not all, and is usually a reflection on the person, not the countryside.

kerplun k

The distance between my home and work is about 11k. I'm in my early 30's and for the past 13 years I have always used a car. My experience with cycling was limited. I've only ever cycled for leisurely purposes, in parks, touring, trekking, etc.

In the past year I was saving a deposit for a house, and thought it would be good idea to give cycling to work a go. It seemed like a great idea with many benefits. So, in March I contacted my HR department, and purchased a nice commuting bike under the B2W scheme, and I was ready to go. I travel from South Dublin to West Dublin. I mapped my route and purchased all the essential accessories. I took my bike to a nearby park and cycled it around for a bit and to get used to it. I was very happy and confident with it.

On the 18th of April, I was ready for my first commute. I'm relativity fit, and was looking forward to a more cost effective and healthy way to travel, plus, it was a fantastic way to start the day and I was really looking forward to it.

However, my idealistic fantasy came crashing down around me on my first day. I've never felt more like an unwanted rodent in my life. I had motorists intentionally pull in and block my path, Ignore me on roundabouts, and turns where I thought I had right of way, where I had to jam on my break to avoid collisions, this, together with poorly designed and dangerous roads, cycling lanes that make no sense, some which lead into barriers and high paths, made my commute a suicide missions.

I thought things would get better and I’d get to use to it. I didn't believe it was possible to get any worse, but it did, The Easter holidays had ended and the roads got much busier, this brought more frustrated motorists, who I honestly believe were jealous because I wasn't stuck in traffic like them, and the way to vent this was to make life more difficult for me. This probably is not the case, but that’s what it feels like.

It seemed the busier the roads, the more erratic people would behave. I've been driving for 13 years and have never been in any sort of accident or altercation with anyone, but I felt on a bike it was only a matter of time.

After about 3 weeks I got very paranoid, and asked one of my work colleagues who is a very experienced cyclist, if he could come to my desk, and give me some tips. I opened Google maps and showed him where I found some issues. He said everything I was doing was correct and these are the normal things cyclists’ experience. He even shadowed me home one day, and said I was fine and following all of the rules.

About 2 weeks ago, I got a puncture. It was due to uneven, edgy part of a road, near Luas and Cookstown Way in Tallaght. There is a part where it looks like cement has been poured onto the road unevenly, causing sharp bumps and as I cycled, keeping to the left, it cut up my tire. This was fine, I expected punctures and practised fixing, so I fixed the puncture and carried on, but to avoid this, going forward I started to position myself more centrally just as I go past this part. It’s only a tiny bit of road and its right beside some traffic lights, then just last week, as I was doing this, as normal, I checked my path, seen it was clear, signaled, and moved centrally to avoid the bad part of the road, then some kid comes up behind me and actually bumps into me, he wasn't going too fast, so I didn't fall off, I just wobbled a bit, I looked back at him, to see what had happened, more curious than angry, and seen him and his friend were just laughing at me, I positioned myself back over to the left, and they sped up so quickly and shouted something at me. I didn't catch what it was.

In answer to this post, No, it’s not worth it. I sold my bike last weekend. And I don’t plan on cycling again.

In a county where traffic congesting is such a problem, I don’t get why the infrastructure for cyclists is so inadequate. We encourage people to cycle with great schemes such as B2W and Dublin city bikes, but then we have roads and infrastructure which makes the commutes too dangerous to cycle. The whole experience has left me so frustrated.

tomasrojo

No

Maybe it's dependent on which bit of Dublin you cycle in. As I said already in this thread, I don't really have many problems every day. I used to have some pretty obnoxious behaviour targeted at me when I used bits of the North Circular Road, when that was part of my commute, but I modified my route to take those out.

That said, I might just be used to some of the stuff that kerplun_k mentions. Back in the winter, another cyclist pulled up alongside me one morning as I was going along in the bakfiets and was bemoaning the driver who had pulled out in front of me from a side road, and was saying you'd think the driver would be more careful as I had kids with me. I have to say, nothing really had registered with me as out of the ordinary. I remember the guy pulling out, but it hadn't struck me as especially reckless or out of the ordinary.

kerplun k

No

kerplun k wrote: »

The distance between my home and work is about 11k. I'm in my early 30's and for the past 13 years I have always used a car. My experience with cycling was limited. I've only ever cycled for leisurely purposes, in parks, touring, trekking, etc.

In the past year I was saving a deposit for a house, and thought it would be good idea to give cycling to work a go. It seemed like a great idea with many benefits. So, in March I contacted my HR department, and purchased a nice commuting bike under the B2W scheme, and I was ready to go. I travel from South Dublin to West Dublin. I mapped my route and purchased all the essential accessories. I took my bike to a nearby park and cycled it around for a bit and to get used to it. I was very happy and confident with it.

On the 18th of April, I was ready for my first commute. I'm relativity fit, and was looking forward to a more cost effective and healthy way to travel, plus, it was a fantastic way to start the day and I was really looking forward to it.

However, my idealistic fantasy came crashing down around me on my first day. I've never felt more like an unwanted rodent in my life. I had motorists intentionally pull in and block my path, Ignore me on roundabouts, and turns where I thought I had right of way, where I had to jam on my break to avoid collisions, this, together with poorly designed and dangerous roads, cycling lanes that make no sense, some which lead into barriers and high paths, made my commute a suicide missions.

I thought things would get better and I’d get to use to it. I didn't believe it was possible to get any worse, but it did, The Easter holidays had ended and the roads got much busier, this brought more frustrated motorists, who I honestly believe were jealous because I wasn't stuck in traffic like them, and the way to vent this was to make life more difficult for me. This probably is not the case, but that’s what it feels like.

It seemed the busier the roads, the more erratic people would behave. I've been driving for 13 years and have never been in any sort of accident or altercation with anyone, but I felt on a bike it was only a matter of time.

After about 3 weeks I got very paranoid, and asked one of my work colleagues who is a very experienced cyclist, if he could come to my desk, and give me some tips. I opened Google maps and showed him where I found some issues. He said everything I was doing was correct and these are the normal things cyclists’ experience. He even shadowed me home one day, and said I was fine and following all of the rules.

About 2 weeks ago, I got a puncture. It was due to uneven, edgy part of a road, near Luas and Cookstown Way in Tallaght. There is a part where it looks like cement has been poured onto the road unevenly, causing sharp bumps and as I cycled, keeping to the left, it cut up my tire. This was fine, I expected punctures and practised fixing, so I fixed the puncture and carried on, but to avoid this, going forward I started to position myself more centrally just as I go past this part. It’s only a tiny bit of road and its right beside some traffic lights, then just last week, as I was doing this, as normal, I checked my path, seen it was clear, signaled, and moved centrally to avoid the bad part of the road, then some kid comes up behind me and actually bumps into me, he wasn't going too fast, so I didn't fall off, I just wobbled a bit, I looked back at him, to see what had happened, more curious than angry, and seen him and his friend were just laughing at me, I positioned myself back over to the left, and they sped up so quickly and shouted something at me. I didn't catch what it was.

In answer to this post, No, it’s not worth it. I sold my bike last weekend. And I don’t plan on cycling again.

In a county where traffic congesting is such a problem, I don’t get why the infrastructure for cyclists is so inadequate. We encourage people to cycle with great schemes such as B2W and Dublin city bikes, but then we have roads and infrastructure which makes the commutes too dangerous to cycle. The whole experience has left me so frustrated.

That sounds like a really crappy start to commuting on a bike. I can't blame you for being completely hacked off with it.

07Lapierre

No

kerplun k wrote: »

In a county where traffic congesting is such a problem, I don’t get why the infrastructure for cyclists is so inadequate. We encourage people to cycle with great schemes such as B2W and Dublin city bikes, but then we have roads and infrastructure which makes the commutes too dangerous to cycle. The whole experience has left me so frustrated.

Very sorry to hear that. IMO things will never change because cycling is not seen as a valid form of transport. Roads are designed for motorised traffic only. Bike lanes are designed (very badly) for "leisure" cyclists only. People who commute by bike are not catered for at all.

DirkVoodoo

I've noticed a lot more "distracted" driving recently, it seems that driving with your phone to your ear or in your hand has just become acceptable, certainly doesn't have much of the taboo associated with drink driving, probably because people don't see having a phone in their hand as any kind of impairment. Sure when is it out of your hand?

Had a number of close overtakes on a spin yesterday, the lack of any kind of mandatory safe overtaking limit is one thing, but all these laws, RSA ads and stories of lives ruined are useless without enforcement.

I'm sure there are plenty of good Gardai out there, but there just isn't any presence on the road or attempt to do anything other than clamp down on out of date tax and NCT.

My only recent experience with a Garda in traffic was being shouted at to "watch out for the pedestrians on red!" as I made a legal right hand turn on a filter from the frascati road onto mount merrion avenue. I turned around and approached the Garda, informed him I had a green light and the last of the school boys crossing the road had clearly passed before I had even started turning.

ford2600

I drove this road today, I'd be familiar with it over the years but have only cycled it once( it was part of National 600 route and even though keen to use other side of river I knee better that suggest it to the man with me).

The treatment of cyclists on 2 +1 sections at junctions is pretty special. Given it's a high speed road I'm finding it hard to think of somewhere worse.

Why you would choose to ride it, especially solo is beyond me. As a solo rider, you have total control over route selection. I know lads love keeping their average up and smooth roads etc etc but choosing to use that route when you know that junction is called "Death Junction" is unnecessarily putting yourself at risk.

There are easy routes parellel of N24 and finding it hard to accept using N24 is necessary at all. Rather than writing to TD maybe spend your time on osi.ie/Google maps etc.

While there is a lot of publicity around recent deaths, the main discussion is driven by fear/anxiety rather than rational thought.

Making decisions from an anxious perspective rather than seeing what you can do rationally to improve the situation isn't the best plan. Improving your route selection and road craft make cycling a very safe activity.

It can never be zero risk and a key point is not doing it is not zero risk either. If you want to live, taking risks is part of the process.

On the subject of not taking risk are current crop of children are on course to be a fat collection of Mr Woodhouses.


<iframe class='nt_media_embed' frameborder='0' height='60' style='width: 100% !important; height: 60px !important;' src='//www.newstalk.com/player/embed.php?mediaType=podcast&id=191575'></iframe>

Edit: Pat Kenny podcast from last Friday

Also as a member of Cycling Ireland rather than give out about what "they" don't do for you, get involved through your club. Put a motion together go to AGM etc.

A leisure road commission thread was opened by @morana about 6 months. Maybe send him a pm and see what you can do.

http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057639584/1/#post100803596

You may as well be writing to Santa as local politicians

smacl

No

greenspurs wrote: »

Back on Topic....

Cyclist number 8 dies in Cork. RiP.

Anyone else changing their minds ?

Still not 1 reply from the 10 TD's and Councillors i emailed last Thursday.

Very sorry to hear this, but no intention of letting it affect my cycling.

Was out yesterday with a couple of guys where I was planning a route from South Dublin to include some of the climbs in the WW200. My main criterion for route selection was N81 avoidance, which worked out pretty well. The back road from Blessington to Ballymore Eustance for example had negligible traffic, good surface and nice scenery, Ballymore - Donard similarly (worse surface, better scenery). Still entirely possible to do an all day spin in the Dublin and Wicklow mountains without having to encounter any heavy traffic.

mr spuckler

smacl wrote: »

Very sorry to hear this, but no intention of letting it affect my cycling.

not just is cycling by far the most enjoyable way for me to get to work, it's also much quicker than any of my alternatives (car, bus + walk, walk + dart + walk). and that's despite me currently adding about 5km to make it a more pleasant and safe route. i won't be changing any time soon either.

xxyyzz

I've pretty much given up road cycling althogether, I spend all my time on the mountainbike. 2 fellow members in my local cycling club have been killed in the last 2 years which pretty much sealed it for me. In my previous club a car ploughed into the back of an evening group ride I regularly took part in badly injuring 3 friends. Luckily I was sick that day. Basically even if you are the safest cyclist in the world you are at the mercy of even the slightest mistake by a driver which is pretty much garunteed to be severe injury or fatal.

jive

kerplun k wrote: »

In a county where traffic congesting is such a problem, I don?t get why the infrastructure for cyclists is so inadequate. We encourage people to cycle with great schemes such as B2W and Dublin city bikes, but then we have roads and infrastructure which makes the commutes too dangerous to cycle. The whole experience has left me so frustrated.

Quoted for truth.

As someone who cycles daily, I can see why people pack in their cycling commute.

Some of the cycle lanes in and around Dublin are absolutely bizarre. I think anyone who cycles regularly around Dublin must be aware of >10 lanes where cyclists would actually be safer had they not been built because they are so ill thought-out.

BoatMad

xxyyzz wrote: »

I've pretty much given up road cycling althogether, I spend all my time on the mountainbike. 2 fellow members in my local cycling club have been killed in the last 2 years which pretty much sealed it for me. In my previous club a car ploughed into the back of an evening group ride I regularly took part in badly injuring 3 friends. Luckily I was sick that day. Basically even if you are the safest cyclist in the world you are at the mercy of even the slightest mistake by a driver which is pretty much garunteed to be severe injury or fatal.

I think the issue of placing a largely unprotected rider in the middle of large amounts of steel , often travelling at speed, is problematic and peoples experiences show that ,

segregation is the only solution ,but with a fixed space and other difficulties in old cities, there is no many realistic options

kayaksurfbum

This popped up on my facebook feed today. Some people are so stupid it makes me sick. joking about killing a cyclist with a tractor!!!

mcgratheoin

No

BoatMad wrote: »

segregation is the only solution

I disagree - a bit of respect from all road users and adherence to the existing laws would be a pretty good solution.

BoatMad

mcgratheoin wrote: »

I disagree - a bit of respect from all road users and adherence to the existing laws would be a pretty good solution.

The underlying fact of a large steel box completing for road space with a largely unprotected human cannot be " wished " away by relying on good behaviour, for if it was, cars wouldn't have a single safety feature !!

xxyyzz

mcgratheoin wrote: »

I disagree - a bit of respect from all road users and adherence to the existing laws would be a pretty good solution.

See I don't think the problem is a lack of respect or people disobeying the rules. This is just something that gets blown up on forums or the media etc. People don't set out to disobey the law. If you are a driver, with all the best will in the world you will make a mistake at some point, this will generally be something very minor, maybe a tip into the back of someone elses car etc which causes little to no damage. Problem is that if that mistake involves a bike then the consequences can be dire and this is where the issue lies, a cyclist is a fragile bag of meat on the road being passed by multi-ton vehicles travelling at 3 times the speed of the cyclist.

smacl

No

xxyyzz wrote: »

If you are a driver, with all the best will in the world you will make a mistake at some point, this will generally be something very minor, maybe a tip into the back of someone elses car etc which causes little to no damage. Problem is that if that mistake involves a bike then the consequences can be dire and this is where the issue lies, a cyclist is a fragile bag of meat on the road being passed by multi-ton vehicles travelling at 3 times the speed of the cyclist.

The only problem with this is that it implies that whether or not as a cyclist you get hit by another vehicle is largely a matter of chance. While there is certainly an element of chance involved, there is a lot that can be done to minimise the risks to a very large extent, albeit at the cost of possibly having to take a longer route and lose a bit of time negotiating certain junctions. It could be in some cases that the compromises are so great that a given trip isn't worth cycling, but I'd guess they're rare enough.

CramCycle

smacl wrote: »

The only problem with this is that it implies that whether or not as a cyclist you get hit by another vehicle is largely a matter of chance. While there is certainly an element of chance involved, there is a lot that can be done to minimise the risks to a very large extent, albeit at the cost of possibly having to take a longer route and lose a bit of time negotiating certain junctions. It could be in some cases that the compromises are so great that a given trip isn't worth cycling, but I'd guess they're rare enough.

They could also reduce the risks posed by motor vehicles in the modern world. Speed limiters triggered by GPS in certain areas. Red light cameras, ANPR for average speed calculations. Sensors that feed back when drivers do not indicate in time and report to their insurance companies etc.

Gerry

I have recently resumed commuting after a 6 month break.. I was involved in a fairly freak accident close to my home - and in my head I had thought since that most of the rest of the route isn't as dangerous since there's bike/bus lanes for most of it. That's now been disproved - am getting cut up, cars edging into bike lane, shouted / beeped at for no reason. I've always hated passing turnoffs on the n4 - particularly westbound theres no bike lane to avoid the fact that cars are turning off and you aren't . Further on by texaco/lucan going westbound, I'm not taking that turnoff so I stay on the dual carriageway. I'm not really holding anyone up - I'm doing 30-50k. The alternative is to take the turnoff and then negotiate the traffic jam up the slip and come back down the other side. Taking any part of the lane on the n4 seems to enrage drivers - and it's only for short sections. Anyone any advice here?

Slutmonkey57b

As a car driver, I'd have to say it depends on which section of the N4 you're talking about. All the way from Kilmainham and particularly out past the M50 is effectively motorway and the only reason it isn't officially made one is that they like to keep speed traps there. If you're biking across the N4 over the M50 then really you've no business there, it's there to try and keep a massive flow of car traffic moving and bikes are a safety hazard; The junction is complicated enough for motorists to manage with the rapid crossover of lanes etc without having to deal with a suddenly slow cyclist taking up any part of the lanes. Take one of the other crossings under the motorway and come out on the other side. Commuters have to be realistic about their routes and what mode of travel they use, e.g. me trying to take the car into work is just not feasible from where I am, so I am stuck with the buses. Equally, there are routes I won't drive with the car because they're nothing more than boreens with space for one and a half cars, and it's an accident waiting to happen; I don't need the grief.

Gerry

The m50 crossing itself isn't really so bad. But then in the morning I'm typically going the same speed as the traffic and there is another route over the pedestrian bridge if it was very quiet. And there are bus lanes and bike lanes eastbound. Other option is to take the greenway from Adamstown and follow the canal the whole way. Which may make sense to try of an evening.

MediaMan

xxyyzz wrote: »

See I don't think the problem is a lack of respect or people disobeying the rules. This is just something that gets blown up on forums or the media etc. People don't set out to disobey the law.

Really? Do you not see people every day, whether in motor-powered vehicles or on bikes, deliberately running amber and red lights, texting and talking on the phone, breaking the speed limit and more? Of course people set out every day to break the law on the road! It's just that it's so common, that people who do it don't think of it as breaking the law.

Inasmuch as it affects cyclist safety, I would say that breaking the law (in the ways above) is less of a factor than pure lack of attention and awareness, but that itself is also an offence.

By the way, I'm not generally an advocate of ruthless law enforcement, except when it comes to people's safely. Then I think it's justified.

Slutmonkey57b

Gerry wrote: »

The m50 crossing itself isn't really so bad. But then in the morning I'm typically going the same speed as the traffic and there is another route over the pedestrian bridge if it was very quiet. And there are bus lanes and bike lanes eastbound. Other option is to take the greenway from Adamstown and follow the canal the whole way. Which may make sense to try of an evening.

Well as we know in this country, the fact that a bus/cycle lane nominally exists doesn't mean it belongs where it is, or is functional. There's a reason they spent a fortune raising the N4 over the Newlands Cross; even the powers that be couldn't continue to pretend that the N4 was a "normal" road at that point which should take account of a normal crossroads.

The speed you are or aren't doing on a bike on that road isn't really the issue either; it's more that as a driver you need to be able to navigate that stretch thinking of space in terms of "blocks of cars", there's way too much going on with exits, designated lanes, traffic being forced to cross over each other to get to where the planners have decided they need to go, without having to also navigate cyclists. That whole section west of the M50 is waiting for someone to finally throw in the towel and admit that it's a motorway. The only reason there might be a bike or bus lane on it is as a fig leaf to the idea that it isn't.

HivemindXX

Slutmonkey57b wrote: »

All the way from Kilmainham and particularly out past the M50 is effectively motorway and the only reason it isn't officially made one is that they like to keep speed traps there.

The actual reason is probably the requirement for there to be a reasonable non-motorway route. This works fine when a new motorway is built, the old N road becomes the alternate route, but when an N road is turned in to a motorway there can be problems with access to areas along the road.

N roads should be usable by all traffic, including cyclists. How the hell is someone supposed to know that this particular road is too damn dangerous before they try it for the first time. The practice of turning N roads in to effective motorways by increasing the design speed by widening them, improving the sight lines and adding high speed slip lanes instead of junctions in the interests of keeping cars moving fast should be banned. Build a motorway if you need one, don't turn an N road in to something that is not safe for cyclists to use and impossible for pedestrians to cross without going kilometres out of their way.

Chuchote

No

BoatMad wrote: »

segregation is the only solution ,but with a fixed space and other difficulties in old cities, there is no many realistic options

Segregation has worked in many old cities both for people on bikes and people on feet - as far as I remember the old city area of Stockholm (Gamla Stan) is completely pedestrianised.

The realistic option is to stop thinking it's normal to drive everywhere. And cars are too expensive on the environment to keep relying on them the way we do.

People in Ireland can be really reckless about their own and others' lives. For comparison, two news stories, one in Ireland, the other in Australia (where you might expect more macho carelessness):

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/only-one-third-convicted-after-caught-on-phone-while-driving-1.3084096

Of more than 12,000 people listed before the courts since January 2015 for driving while holding a mobile phone, just over a third were convicted, new figures show.

Almost a third of the cases could not go ahead because the summonses requiring drivers to appear in court had not been served.

The raw data, supplied to Deputy Tommy Broughan by Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald, covered January 2015 to March 2017, and was analysed by Road Safety Group, Parc.

(snip)

Driving while holding a mobile phone became an offence in 2006. It attracts a fixed fine of €80 and three penalty points. If the fixed penalty is not paid, the driver is summonsed to court where , on conviction, five points can be added to a driver’s licence.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-21/nsw-police-minister-troy-grant-fined-for-using-phone-in-car/8372962

New South Wales Police Minister Troy Grant says he has learnt his lesson after being fined and losing four demerit points for holding a mobile phone while behind the wheel.

The Nationals MP for Dubbo reported himself to the police after taking a photo of a sheep in the boot of a nearby car while stopped at roadworks at the weekend.

He uploaded the image to Twitter.

"This serves as a massive reminder, nobody is above the law even if you are the Police Minister, even if you have to ring up and dob yourself in to get a ticket," he said.

"If that is what it takes to continue to ram home the message, then that is what I am prepared to do."

Mr Grant said he did not know he was doing the wrong thing by holding a mobile phone while in the driver's seat.

He was fined $325.

dermabrasion

No

The N roads coming out of the city are not designed for bikes. I know there are ways to navigate them, but you have to be in the know and familiar with their various nuances. Granted, some are better than others.
When driving, if you're not familiar with timely strategic positioning for which lane to choose, it is tricky. So, suddenly having to contend with a bike when making a complicated lane change puts the bike in very vulnerable position.
The construction of cycling super-highways on key routes into the city would take a a load of cars out of the city. This must be cheaper than more road schemes or new Luas metro.

smacl

No

HivemindXX wrote: »

Build a motorway if you need one, don't turn an N road in to something that is not safe for cyclists to use and impossible for pedestrians to cross without going kilometres out of their way.

While I agree in principle, new motorways are an order of magnitude more expensive to construct and take considerably longer than road re-alignments. If the need is there for a faster road, far more cost effective to re-align the N-road and build separate or at least segregated cycling infrastructure alongside with pedestrian bridges as needed. From a leisure cycling point of view, I wouldn't be going near N roads, particularly faster ones designated as high quality dual carriage ways some of which have speed limits of 120kph, others of which have no hard shoulder in places. Similarly, for a rush hour commute, I'd pick an alternative route, and if one wasn't feasible, and alternative form of transport.