This week the @ireland Twitter account will be curated by one of Dublin Cycling Campaign's members, Kieran Ryan. If you are a Twitter user, join in the discussion threads and help us normalise cycling, only a few more days to go!

Also, next Sunday 8th we are meeting once again for a social cycle along the Liffey demanding better infrastructure. We will be meeting at Grand Canal Square for an 11am start, bring your friends, family, pets, everybody's welcomed!

And after having participated in Velo-city 2018 - Rio de Janeiro (the largest cycling advocacy conference in the world) this year, we are already planning Velo-city 2019 Dublin! If you want to learn more about the lessons learnt in Rio and the plans for next year, join us at our next public meeting at the Central Hotel, Exchequer Street, Dublin 2 next Monday 9th at 7.30pm.

Hope to see you there and if you are not a member of the campaign yet, you can join us here and help us make Dublin a better city for all.

Happy Cycling!
Dublin Cycling Campaign

Velo-city 2019 Dublin

Velo-city 2018 Rio de Janeiro had everything. More than 1,000 participants attended the conference, setting a new record among all Velo-city conferences outside Europe. More than 200 exceptional speakers shared their expertise and talked about important issues such as cycling and social inclusion, health, infrastructure, economics, mega-cities, gender equality, diversity and behaviour change, offering a stunning 73 sessions. Amazing side-events, social events and a beautiful bike parade of 500 smiling people on bikes from the port area to Aterro do Flamengo surrounded the program sessions, making a week full of cycling even more unforgettable.

In the picture above we have Cllr Ciaran Cuffe accepting the Velo-city bicycle and bringing the conference to Dublin for 2019. There was a large contingent of about 20 delegates from Ireland representing many different groups including Dublin Cycling campaign, Cyclist.ie along with Dublin City Council engineers and planners and Sarah Scannell the cycling officer for Dublin. Companies presenting from Ireland included See.Sense and Liberty Bell. See also this story with details of the Irish team heading to Velo-Rio.

Come along to next Monday's meeting 9th July and get a taste of Rio de Janeiro and what we learnt at the conference and what we hope to bring to Dublin in 2019.

And finally check out the new website for Velo-city 2019 in Dublin.

The Freedom Machine 8th July, 8pm

There is another chance to see The Freedom Machine, a comedy that explores the history of the bicycle, and its role in the women's suffrage movement 100 years ago, at 8pm on Sunday 8 July in A4 Sounds, St. Joseph's Parade, off Dorset Street, Dublin 1. This one-woman show by Elaine Gallagher will then be heading to the Edinburgh Festival! Entry €5.

A Night of Cycling and Stargazing

Thursday, July 19, Dunsink Observatory

Dublin Cycling Campaign is thrilled to be teaming up the Festival of Curiosity to bring you a night of (easy-ish!) cycling and stargazing in a wonderful location not far from the city centre.

We will meet in town at 8.30pm (location and time to be confirmed) and will be back into the city around midnight. Details of the stargazing can be read here. (and you can ignore the ‘Sold out’ notification if you are a cycling stargaze).

Keep an eye on our Facebook page or our website for details to be announced over the coming days. In the meantime, be sure to give your bike a quick once-over in advance of the event - even just to pump tyres and oil chains properly - and to dig out some good quality lights!

Numbers on the Liffey Route

A traffic survey by Dublin Cycling Campaign has revealed that bicycles account for half of all vehicles on the North Quays during the morning rush hour. Cyclists also outnumber private motorists by a factor of 2:1.
Read the full results here​.

Greenway Strategy

Minister for Transport, Shane Ross deferred the launch of the promised National Greenway Strategy, which was originally supposed to be launched last Monday at the inauguration of the newly constructed Greenway along the Royal Canal between Maynooth and Enfield. We are expecting this important document to be launched next week, and await the outcome following our considered submissions to the original consultation process.

This Strategy will be important for many cycling advocates around the country seeking better everyday cycling conditions and will hopefully lead to a greater uptake in regular cycling if properly managed. It will highlight the expected increase in funding and investment over the coming years. Keep an eye on our websites Cyclist.ie and dublincycling.com, as well as Cian Ginty's irishcycle.com for updates.

In the meantime, those of you with a particular interest in this topic might be interested in the upcoming 'EuroVelo and Cycle Tourism Conference 2018' which will take place in Limburg in Belgium from 26th to 28th September next. More info on the conference here.

Maynooth Cycle Link Opens
Part of EuroVelo Route 2

On Monday 2nd July, Shane Ross, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport came to Kildare to open the “Maynooth Harbour Cycle Link”. This was the intersection point of two schemes on which Kildare County Council had been working for a number of years. The first was an urban active travel project while the second was a section of the Dublin-Galway Greenway west of Maynooth, which forms part of a greater European Cycle Route, EuroVelo 2, linking Galway to Moscow! .

In his speech marking the opening, Minister Ross largely repeated his message from Budget Day 2018, that the Department is strongly pro-cycling, that €110 Million would be spent on walking and cycling in the next four years, and how it was a substantial increase on previous capital expenditure.

After the opening ceremony, some of us had the opportunity for a short discussion with the Minister. We raised the issues of increased funding, minimum passing distance legislation (MPDL) and compulsory use of cycle lanes. The Minister felt that cyclists didn’t appreciate the efforts he has been making on our behalf and that the 10% funding for cycling was unrealistic so at least he is aware of our goal. He also informed us that the legislation on the compulsory use of cycle lanes had not yet been prepared. He also expects to launch the National Greenway Strategy shortly.

Leitrim Cycling Festival

Leitrim Cycling Festival, 2018, has come and passed but the memories remain! A group of about 50 cyclists which included visitors from many parts of the world as well as from all over Ireland, recently caused a bit of a stir in Co. Leitrim!

The festival was held in Manorhamilton and Dromahair in north County Leitrim on the weekend of June 22nd - 24th. On the Friday night, at the candle-lit, cafe-styled Glens Theatre, Manorhamilton, we had guests speakers Mary Russell and William Bennett inspiring us with their tales of cycle and travel adventure. Mary talked about her experience travelling through pre-war Syria and William spoke about his three-year, round-the-world trip by bike. A few hit the pubs afterwards sharing their own cycling adventures and others headed for their tents pitched near the local GAA pitch in Manorhamilton town.

On the Saturday we started the day with a morning loop through boreens over the rolling hills that surround Manorhamilton and returning for coffee at the Castle Cafe where we were based for the day. Throughout the day we had a variety of workshops and activities celebrating the bike. We had art workshops, screen-printing, a cycle fun-fair constructed by artist Paddy Bloomer, music by The Knotted Chords, Kid's Cycling Picnic, a heritage walk and lots more.

Late on Saturday afternoon we had a short cycle tour from Manorhamilton passing farmland, lakes and forests and eventually arriving to our campsite on the edge of the village of Dromahair where we joined in the festivities of the annual Dancing & Trad Music at the Five Crossroads and bonfire.

On the Sunday morning, we woke up to the smell of a giant BBQ breakfast been prepared on the campsite for all that camped overnight. A breakfast fit to fuel a bunch of hungry cycle tourers for the day! After breakfast we had the Great Greenway Cycling Circus Carnival! A parade of fancy dressed cyclists and beautifully decorated bikes wheeling up the Dromahair greenway to the sound of The Old Market Street Swing Band. We finished up on the Sunday by launching a trishaw, designed and delivered by 'Cycling Without Age' (see separate article in this newsletter), that will help elderly members of the community enjoy the village's greenway.

The weekend was a huge success, highlighting a community spirit that's very prevalent in this corner of Ireland. We wanted to bring young and old together and to normalise the bike. For one sunny weekend in June the bike was king! The aim of the festival was to celebrate the locality for its wonderful cycling routes, to bring people together to learn about the future of cycling in the area, to build a community that can be involved in developing the area and most importantly to have some fun!

Liffey Sunday Cycle

This Sunday 8th July, Dublin's cyclists will take to the streets to demand a safe, segregated cycle route along the Liffey Quays.

Join us for the #LiffeyCycle on Sunday. Meet at Grand Canal Square for an 11am start. Check out and share the event here!

Dublin businesses support call for better cycling infrastructure

A Dublin campaign, based on one in London, has had a major boost this week with Dublin Chamber of Commerce coming on board. CyclingWorks Dublin requires two letters signed by an organisation's CEO to be sent to Minister Shane Ross and the head of NTA calling for government investment in better, safer, cycling infrastructure for Dublin City which would be very beneficial for their employees. Would your employer might be interested in adding their support ?

You can read the full press release here.

Sociable City Workshop Invite

Would you be interested in attending the workshop below on behalf of Dublin Cycling Campaign?

The Responsible Hospitality Institute, which is based in San Francisco, is developing a template of best practice for the management of the evening and night-time economy in Dublin City. The idea is to look at emerging trends and set in place structures that will ensure that cities remain vibrant as well as safe and enjoyable destinations after dark. They are looking at Dublin along with Toronto and two Spanish-speaking cities as models of best practice internationally that could be held up for other cities throughout the world to follow. More information on the project can be found here.

On July 11th & 12th a high-level delegation will be in Dublin to hold a series of workshops which we will host in Wynn’s Hotel, Lower Abbey Street, Dublin 1. There will be four workshops in total over the two days covering various aspects of the Evening & Night Time Economy from safety to vibrancy. More information on the workshops can be found here.

One of the sessions will consider mobility. It will be held at 2.00pm on July 11th in Wynn’s Hotel. Many cities are good at organising transport during the day and early evening but don’t consider the needs of people who are out socialising at night and also people who work at night, including those in the emergency services. The project would like to address all of these needs.

We would like to invite a Dublin Cycling Campaign representative to attend this workshop and to share their thoughts and insights. You are also very welcome to join us at the other workshops.

If you wish further information on the project or the event, contact Gerry Farrell in Dublin Town on 01-6334680.

Wadjda - a must see

Wadjda. It belongs to a 10-year-old Saudi girl who wants nothing more than to own a bicycle, a desire so intense that she decides to compete in a Koran-reciting contest, even though she’s far outmatched by the more devout girls at her school. “Wadjda” also happens to be the title of the young girl’s unforgettable story, as told in the first feature ever shot and released in Saudi Arabia — a country where television thrives, but cinemas barely even exist. Check it out!

Join Us! Become a Member – or Even Better an Active Member!

The Dublin Cycling Campaign is a completely voluntary group working on behalf of all cyclists in Dublin. The more members we have, the quicker we can transform the city and culture for the better. Join today! As a member you will receive a Cycling Rewards Card that gives you discounts at over 40 cyclist friendly businesses.

Active Members

We have an email list where we occasionally send out requests for help with specific jobs or events. If you would like to be added to the list please email us at info@dublincycling.ie and you might let us know if you have a particular skill that might be useful. Being on the list is not an obligation to do work, but you might see something you would like to help out with.

Cycling Without Age Ireland celebrates its first birthday

‘Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of riding a bike’

This quote says a lot about how cycling can make you feel. So why should this pleasure be reduced when we get old or impaired? Nobody chooses to be disabled, or mobility-impaired. Nobody chooses to get old. It just happens, but it shouldn’t be the end of the pleasure to be derived from cycling.

That is the vision that people like Ole Kassow and Clara Clark share. In 2012, Ole Kassow set up a movement called Cycling Without Age (CWA) in Copenhagen, Denmark, to bring cycling to those who can no longer do it for themselves. From Copenhagen, the movement spread to other cities in Denmark, then to neighbouring Norway. CWA is now present in 38 countries.

It’s the same dream of freedom and fun that drove Clara Clark to set up the Irish wing of CWA with its first trishaw taking its inaugural spin in the People’s Park Dun Laoghaire in June 2017. They celebrated their first birthday with the launch of the most recent trishaw at the John F. Kennedy Arboretum in New Ross, Co. Wexford, on 13th June – see picture.

There are now thirteen trishaws spread around the country, and it is a wonderful success story. Older people are once again taking pleasure in ‘feeling the wind in their hair’! Check out http://cyclingwithoutage.ie/ for further information and you might even consider getting involved? CWA is a full member of the Cyclist.ie network of cycling advocacy groups.

Love 30 Update

Dublin City Council is proposing to expand 30 km/h speed limits to another band of suburbs on both the north and south sides of the city. Love 30 is delighted with the progress, but disappointed that there are no proposals to reduce the limits on arterial roads. Closing date for comments is 24th July. Full details and a map are at here. There's an even better map on this article in the Herald.

Kerry County Council have also commenced a consultation on the County of Kerry Road Traffic Special Speed Limits Bye-Laws 2018.


If you wish to have your views included in the Love 30 submissions email us at info@love.ie

Get WRITING, Get Protesting!
EU Wants Mandatory Insurance for Electric Bicycles!

The European Cycling Federation (ECF), of which Cyclist.ie is the Irish member, is calling on all cyclists and citizens concerned with active travel issues, to campaign against the proposed EU introduction of mandatory insurance for Power Assisted Vehicle. This proposal fails to recognise the difference between mechanically propelled vehicles (normal cars etc) and pedal assisted vehicles (Pedelecs). The proposal will discourage the growth of the use of pedelecs, which supports longer commutes, and older and disabled active travel. It does not recognise the multiple societal and health benefits the Pedelecs bring.

Here in Ireland we are already seeing the growth in the sale and use of Pedelecs, particularly for older people and for families. Throughout the EU there are over 10 million users of Pedelecs. mandatory insurance for these bicycles will discourage their use, and discourage active travel, and thus lead to increased health issues. Please support this Campaign against mandatory insurance by registering your objections with the European Commission, and making your own points to the Commission. GET WRITING NOW!