The CMATS baseline of 1% and target of 4% is very low and should not be referenced in the City Development Plan.
Most residential areas in Cork can be reached from the city center on a bicycle within 20 minutes.
This gives Cork a great oportunity to have a more ambitious target between 13-20% mode share.
The Lee to Sea Greenway has a great potential for local transport(commute and leisure) and as a tourist attraction.
With the increasing cycling network, we will attract more active travel tourists from Europe whomay come by ferry to Ringaskiddy and join the Greenway. I have experienced this in the other direction when I was able to cycle from Cork City to Ringaskiddy and sailed from Cork to Roscoff where I had access to hundreds of km's of greenways.
The Lee to Sea Greenway should be included as an objective in the Core Strategy (Chapter 2).
The Lee to Sea Greenway should be added as a specific objective in Chapter 4 (Transport), with a plan for route selection, funding and implementation to be carried out in the short term.
A lot has been done in last year(especially segregation/protection) but much more can be done.
Many cycle routes are disconnected to make a reasonable commute or leisure trip.
To list few:
Safe pedestrian/cycle access from Togher/Ballyphehane to Tramore Valley Park(along Togher river) is a missing link for safe commuting between the west part of the city and Douglas.
Disconnected greenway from Lee Fields to Murphy's farm at Model Farm Road.
Safest route from the Blarney Street area to the College road area via Mardyke Bridge is closed from early evening until late morning during winter months which is unacceptable for a commuting route especially for young children going to school in the morning.
Clear roadmap needs to be provided with timelines of delivering new cycling infrastructure to support active travel.
Active travel infrastructure must not be perceived as leisure only but as a vital travel route which is accessible 24/7 and not locked with gates.