The road network IS the primary cycle network

While we welcome the GBI study’s recommendation for new cycle routes (LUC I206-207), we would like to emphasise that the road network is the primary cycle network, and that the best way to improve cycle routes, is to make all roads where one can legally cycle, welcome for cyclists: and in particular main roads. When, in 2000, Transport for London looked at how its backstreet cycle network (the London Cycle Network) was performing, which routes cyclists were actually using, and asked which they’d prefer to use, the evidence was clear: the main roads were the best potential routes for cyclists, and that investment in parallel back-street routes had been unwise and unsuccessful.

On the issue of cycle parking, it is important to bear in mind that if cycle parking is not secure, it is worse than useless. People use the facilities, find their bikes are stolen, and many give up cycling. Enforcement action against cycle theft has to be a fundamental part of the provision of cycle parking. This means ensuring suitable evidence-gathering at parking sites, such as cctv that is of sufficient quality to ensure successful prosecutions; and also the co-operation of An Garda Síochána to devote suitable resources to enforcing against cycle theft.

In particular, the very recent surge in awareness of, interest in, and use of, electric bicycles should be nurtured and nourished. As these cycles typically cost around €3000, secure parking is of the essence. They offer the opportunity to push Cork City’s cycling mode share far far above the proposed weak 4% target, given their ability to make the hillier areas much more accessible.

On enforcement, it is important to bear in mind that there is a hysteresis curve of enforcement and compliance, where very high enforcement at the start of a new provision is crucial to obtain high compliance from the beginning. Once this compliance is achieved, resources dedicated to enforcement can be reduced, without threatening compliance rates. Conversely, weak enforcement at the start leads to entrenched poor compliance, and it is then much more expensive to bring compliance rates up. A stitch in time saves nine. Enforce hard and early from the beginning.