February 4th, 2020
Over the past three
weeks, as in all election cycles, we have become accustomed to the knock at the
door from canvassers or candidates themselves are they vie for our number one
at the ballot box.
We have asked
leading climate and biodiversity experts to tell us the key policy asks that
they have raised with candidates when they come a-knocking.
Next up is Martina Callanan who represents Galway Cycling Campaign on the executive council of Cyclist.ie, the Irish Cycling Advocacy Network, whose vision is for cycling to become a normal part of transport and everyday life in Ireland.
The network sees cycling as a vital part of building healthier and less polluted communities, and has developed 10 election asks that it Martina has boiled down to three kernel points below.
Make cycling a normal everyday activity
Cycling is a critical part of the transport
equation in combating Climate Change. We need everyday cycling to be better and safer,
more convenient, and easier. Hopping on your bike should be a more attractive
option for the so-called first-mile and last-mile journeys.
No more slashing of funding or paltry rises: major
investment is needed to shift people away from car dependency, especially for
short journeys under 5km. This means greater investment in cycling infrastructure and promotion.
We need our next Government to allocate a minimum 10 per cent of transport funding
to cycling immediately as promised under the National Climate Action
Plan. Currently, cycling is allocated a tiny two per cent of our transport spend.
We do not need to reinvent the wheel. Bike safety
is highest in countries and cities where bike use is high and people cycling
have interconnected networks of segregated routes such as in the Netherlands,
Denmark, and Bristol and Manchester in the UK.
It’s as easy as ABC: Allocate 10 per cent of transport funding to cycling; Build safer infrastructure, and everyone will cycle more.
Build safe segregated networks
Manifestos that mention school cycle buses should
make us weep with rage. There should be no need for parents and adults to marshal kids
to school on bikes, forming human shields
between small soft bodies and big, motorised, metal boxes. Cycle buses must not
become the norm.
What we need are safe routes to schools and throughout
populated areas: networks of segregated cycle paths along roads; safe
junction design with priority signalling for people on bikes; and quiet routes
through permeable neighbourhoods. Let’s get designing and building!
Increasing cycling numbers in Ireland will cut congestion, improve public health, and reduce pollution. To get more people cycling, we need to make it an easier and safer choice. Let’s have real cycle networks, safe school routes, and coordinated planning, policy and policing that protects us.
Design
fit-for-purpose planning, policy and policing system
The 3 Ps of Planning, Policy and Policing seem a
little dry at first glance – but these are the actions that make the good
things happen.
Planning –
Building safer cycling infrastructure should be
guided by our National Cycle Manual. This
design guidance needs urgent updating to upgrade our standards and bring us
into line with best international practice.
Policy
– We need joined-up thinking for everyday cycling across a myriad of
Departments – Transport, Health, Environment, Housing, Education, and Justice.
We need a resourced National Cycling Office, preferably within the Department
of Transport to coordinate policy and ensure action.
Policing
– We have road traffic legislation that considers people who cycle and walk,
but enforcement needs greater priority. People who cycle are frustrated and
frightened by illegal parking in cycle lanes and dangerous overtaking.
The post What the experts want from GE2020 – Cyclist.ie appeared first on Green News Ireland.
