Dublin Chamber has put forward the argument that a 20% cycling share is possible in the city within 10 years.
The Dublin Chamber has officially backed plans for the proposed Fitzwilliam Cycle Route in the city, saying that it “would send a message” that the capital is serious about safe cycling.
On Friday, the Chamber offered its backing to the project in a submission made to Dublin City Council.
The proposal would see the introduction of new segregated cycle lanes on Fitzwilliam Street, with cyclists granted protection from general traffic by parked cars.
In its submission, Dublin Chamber noted that similar designs have proved hugely successful in other cities such as Amsterdam and Copenhagen.
“Creating the cycle route would send a strong message that Dublin is ready to embrace the potential that exists to become a great city for cycling,” said Dublin Chamber’s Head of Public Affairs Graeme McQueen.
“It says that it is serious about addressing the current over-reliance on the private car within the M50. The popularity of cycling in Dublin is growing fast. However, cycling in many parts of the city remains far too dangerous,” McQueen added.
He went on to suggest that if the Fitzwilliam Route proves to be a success, the design could “easily” be rolled out to other parts of Dublin.
“Currently, around 6% of work commutes in the city are made by bike,” offered McQueen.
“In Copenhagen, that number exceeds 40%. Since 2008, the number of people commuting into Dublin by bike has doubled to 12,000. However, this progress largely comes in spite of infrastructure and not because of it.”
Dublin Chamber has put forward the argument that a 20% cycling share is possible in the city within 10 years, but only if proper investment is committed to the cycling network.
“It is a frustration of the business community in Dublin that very little of the Greater Dublin Area Cycle Network Plan, launched in 2013, has come to fruition,” said McQueen.
“If delivering the necessary cycleway infrastructure is not made a priority within the M50, then moves to develop a sustainable, more environmentally-friendly and congestion-free city will be significantly hampered.”
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