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Dublin cyclists form 'human chain' to prevent illegal parking in cycle lanesProtesters line up to prevent cars from parking on cycle path (Cyclistie via Twitter).jpg

Dublin cyclists form 'human chain' to prevent illegal parking in cycle lanes

“We decided that there was only so much getting angry on social media could achieve”
by Alex Bowden
Wed, Jul 12, 2017 17:31
16

Protesters in Dublin have taken to forming human chains to keep cars from parking in cycle lanes. “We're not doing this to create confrontation. We want to raise awareness," said one of the campaigners.

Independent.ie reports that 17 cyclists came together on Twitter a few weeks ago due to ongoing "frustration" at how the city’s cycle lanes were being invaded by loading trucks and other vehicles.

I Bike Dublin’s Ciarán Ferrie explained: "We felt our complaints to the Department of Transport and to the companies who owned the loading trucks weren't getting anywhere. We decided that there was only so much getting angry on social media could achieve and we began our campaign two weeks ago."

The first protest was held on St Andrews Street’s contraflow bike lane.

Further protests have followed.

The group is looking to protect the cycle lane on Ranelagh Road between 8.30am and 9.30am tomorrow (Thursday) as the lane here is often said to be blocked by motorists stopping at the shops or to get coffee.

Earlier this year, campaigners in Kansas used toilet plungers as a way to try and keep motorists out of a bike lane at a dangerous junction.

Their efforts proved highly effective as a month later city authorities installed vertical wands at the same location.

Dublin
ireland
bike lanes
Alex Bowden

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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16 comments

Avatar
KevM | 7 years ago
0 likes

I regularly encounter this stupid bit of contraflow. I'm yet to use the whole thing without parked cars.
https://goo.gl/maps/cfWWAHaVSox

Avatar
don simon fbpe | 7 years ago
0 likes

Of the newsagents next to The Bouverie Arms.

You must be a 1st year student, no?  3

Avatar
Vehlin replied to don simon fbpe | 7 years ago
0 likes
don simon wrote:

Of the newsagents next to The Bouverie Arms.

You must be a 1st year student, no?  3

Nah, I've lived in Chester all my life. I took the photos while walking back from the Goat and Munch pub (used to be the EDAS washing machine repair shop.

Avatar
don simon fbpe replied to Vehlin | 7 years ago
0 likes
Vehlin wrote:
don simon wrote:

Of the newsagents next to The Bouverie Arms.

You must be a 1st year student, no?  3

Nah, I've lived in Chester all my life. I took the photos while walking back from the Goat and Munch pub (used to be the EDAS washing machine repair shop.

fair enough, Mr Smith was a Garden Lane institution.

http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/family-run-...

I know the Goat and the old washing machine shop. I lived on Garden Lane for years in the 80s and 90s. Don't live that far away now.

Avatar
kitsunegari | 7 years ago
4 likes

We had new cycling lanes put in recently on Green End Road in Cambridge, which is a busy road.

It's made the road significantly more dangerous because its always full of parked cars, and you're just forced into the traffic.

Avatar
Jack Osbourne snr | 7 years ago
2 likes

Does Irish monoblock stay flat and level longer than tarmac?

 

Interesting choice of material for a cycle lane.

Avatar
The _Kaner replied to Jack Osbourne snr | 7 years ago
2 likes
Jack Osbourne snr wrote:

Does Irish monoblock stay flat and level longer than tarmac?

 

Interesting choice of material for a cycle lane.

No it is dire! Especially as pointed out above, it is usually blocked by vehicles carrying goods, to the local shops. This puts undue strain on the monoblock and various sections are all uneven.

This stuff has very little grip when wet also.

It's no way as near as hazardous as any street that Luas lines running though...(trams in old money)

the Luas tracks are best avoided, which is hard, and there are too many to keep dismounting.

Avatar
Metaphor | 7 years ago
6 likes

Great work.

Just saw a driver parked in a bike lane casually browsing on his phone. How I wanted to make him so scared he wouldn't ever think of parking there again.

Avatar
StraelGuy replied to Metaphor | 7 years ago
2 likes
Ramuz wrote:

Just saw a driver parked in a bike lane casually browsing on his phone. How I wanted to make him so scared he wouldn't ever think of parking there again.

 

Have you considered dropping a grand piano onto his bonnet from one of the office windows above?

Avatar
burtthebike | 7 years ago
12 likes

Good for them!  It is obviously pointless to allow parking in cycle lanes, defeating the object of having them, and if the authorities won't take action, citizens have to.

Perhaps we need more of this direct action?

Avatar
Vehlin replied to burtthebike | 7 years ago
3 likes
burtthebike wrote:

Good for them!  It is obviously pointless to allow parking in cycle lanes, defeating the object of having them, and if the authorities won't take action, citizens have to.

Perhaps we need more of this direct action?

My local council have put parking bays in the middle of a contraflow cycle lane. So don't discount the idiocy of some people.

Avatar
burtthebike replied to Vehlin | 7 years ago
0 likes
Vehlin wrote:
burtthebike wrote:

Good for them!  It is obviously pointless to allow parking in cycle lanes, defeating the object of having them, and if the authorities won't take action, citizens have to.

Perhaps we need more of this direct action?

My local council have put parking bays in the middle of a contraflow cycle lane. So don't discount the idiocy of some people.

Name and Shame!  Where is this and have you sent pix to Cycle Facility of the Month?

http://wcc.crankfoot.xyz/facility-of-the-month/

I've just looked at the latest pic on that site, and gobsmacked doesn't cover it, I am totally bewildered and cannot conceive of the utter imbecility of whoever decided to put that sign there.

Avatar
Vehlin replied to burtthebike | 7 years ago
0 likes
burtthebike wrote:

Name and Shame!  Where is this and have you sent pix to Cycle Facility of the Month?

http://wcc.crankfoot.xyz/facility-of-the-month/

I've just looked at the latest pic on that site, and gobsmacked doesn't cover it, I am totally bewildered and cannot conceive of the utter imbecility of whoever decided to put that sign there.

Cheshire West and Chester Council - Garden Lane in Chester

http://imgur.com/a/dL7HN

Avatar
don simon fbpe replied to Vehlin | 7 years ago
0 likes
Vehlin wrote:
burtthebike wrote:

Name and Shame!  Where is this and have you sent pix to Cycle Facility of the Month?

http://wcc.crankfoot.xyz/facility-of-the-month/

I've just looked at the latest pic on that site, and gobsmacked doesn't cover it, I am totally bewildered and cannot conceive of the utter imbecility of whoever decided to put that sign there.

Cheshire West and Chester Council - Garden Lane in Chester

http://imgur.com/a/dL7HN

You can almost see my old house in that image. 1 One of the ones behind the sandstone wall with the gate on the right hand side.

Something was lost from the area when Mr Smith retired.

Avatar
Vehlin replied to don simon fbpe | 7 years ago
0 likes
don simon wrote:

You can almost see my old house in that image. 1 One of the ones behind the sandstone wall with the gate on the right hand side.

Something was lost from the area when Mr Smith retired.

Mr Smith?

Avatar
ajft replied to burtthebike | 7 years ago
3 likes
burtthebike wrote:

Good for them!  It is obviously pointless to allow parking in cycle lanes, defeating the object of having them, and if the authorities won't take action, citizens have to.

Not "pointless" at all, our (Melbourne, Australia) councils do it all the time, you just have to realise who'se point is the important one.

Build a bike lane to placate the cyclists, and so you can point and say "Look, we spend good money being green and environmentally friendly etc", but allow parking in it to placate the motorists and maintain the status quo.  Job done.

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