Submission on Draft Dublin to Galway Greenway Plan

Introduction

1. It is unclear what sort of Draft Plan it is or its purpose - it is assumed that it is a Strategic Plan. However, as most of the route between Dublin and Athlone has received planning approval after Part 8 Public Consultation and is either already constructed or under construction, the scope of the document is unclear.

Vision & Objectives

2. In the Department’s Report into the Evaluation of the Smarter Travel Areas, one of the weaknesses identified was that greenways were associated in the public mind with recreation/tourism rather than every day cycling. Also, one of the key stakeholders on the Dublin to Galway Greenway is Waterways Ireland is anti-utility cycling (recreational cycling is embedded in the aims of the organisation).

In the Vision, while it is noted that there are two mentions of tourism and one of recreation, there is no mention of utility cycling. In the section dealing with objectives, there is one reference to maximising the number of commuters (along with leisure and tourist users) but this compares to six mentions of tourism/visitors.

Utility cycling should receive equal if not greater prominence than recreational cycling especially as most recreational cyclists (if they wear lycra) are actively discouraged from using what is after all sections of the National Cycle Network.

3. Maximising the usage of the greenway should be one of the primary objectives. Standards which suppress demand for cycling should only be selected if accompanied by a justification for same.

4. We welcome the objective that the route should be designed and built to best international practice and regret that this document was not available when the sections of the Royal Canal east of Athlone were designed in view of past decisions on width and surfacing. It is accepted that lack of available width would preclude achieving best international practice in many places but it is not accepted that the starting point should be minimum standards which are then reduced in the event of any ‘problem’.

The standards of the European Greenway Association are considered by many non-cyclists to represented best international practice. However, the practices of the European Greenway Association are incompatible with the objective of maximising greenway usage.

Most of the countries which are active in the organisation and which favour greenways have low national levels of bicycle use ie less than 5% modal split. In contrast, countries which

have high levels of cycling and which want to promote mass cycling such as the Netherland and Denmark do not build greenways as such but high quality inter-urban cycle routes.

The document should identify where best standards especially in terms of width and surfacing are found and look for justification for departures from same.

Based on the analysis of the Great Western Greenway – Economic Impact Study, more national and external visitors want to cycle than walk and as a result cycling brings more money into the local economy. Walking is more popular with locals than cycling with the result that it generates less money. Furthermore as cyclists travel at approximately four times the speed of walkers they cover a much greater distance along a greenway in the same time. Consequently, it is important that the needs of cyclists are to the forefront of design rather than an afterthought.

Additional Objective -Traffic Impact Assessment

5. Currently, the benefits of increased cycling are assumed but not quantified with the result that there is no data available when weighing up undesirable impacts on the environment as the result of the provision of a greenway versus the beneficial effect of increased cycling.

To address this, traffic impact assessments should be carried out for all bicycle schemes. The elements of such an assessment should include at minimum the following elements:

Identification of baseline cycling Predicted greenway usage Economic cost of suppressing demand for cycling Estimated modal switch from car to bicycle – how many cars will be taken off the

road Carbon saving Qualify health benefits – HEAT analysis Lifetime costs (construction and maintenance) Quantify roadkill

Dedicated infrastructure vs Quiet (Local) Roads

6. On the subject of dedicated infrastructure versus quiet roads, our view is that the National Cycle Network is the skeleton to which all other cycle facilities connect. While the National Cycle Network should offer a high level of service which generally means dedicated infrastructure, the choice of a route would depend on the principles of cohesion, directness, comfort, attractiveness and safety. It should not depend, as appears to be the case in Galway, on local opposition to change or nimbyism. Maynooth Cycling Campaign would prefer dedicated infrastructure in general but is not opposed in principle to the limited use of quiet roads in the right location for the appropriate reasons which would include the potential for commuting.