The Dublin Cycling Campaign is an independent, voluntary lobby group that has been working to improve the city for all cyclists for over a decade and a half.
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2009-11-23 - QBC Consultation - Hole in the Wall
Dublin Cycling Campaign have submitted the following submission to the Quality Bus Network Office's Public Consultation on the Hole in the Wall Road QBC proposals.
sites/dublincycling.ie/files/users/12/2009-11-23-QBC_Consultation_Submission-Hole_in_the_Wall.zip
sites/dublincycling.ie/files/users/12/OXF%20BusBike%20leaflet%20WEB%20PDF%20%281%29.pdf
The Executive Summary is copied below.
James Leahy 23/11/09
1.1 Introduction
Dublin Cycling Campaign’s comments on the consultation have been guided by the National Cycle Policy Framework (Department of Transport 2009) and Cyclist.ie’s (2008) National Cycling Promotional Policy: Achieving a Cycle Friendly Ireland. This calls for a hierarchical approach to the consideration of measures to address cycling, encompassing the classic three ‘E’s: Education, Enforcement and Engineering.
We pledge ourselves to a collaborative approach and would like to work with the QBN Office to deliver a better result for transport modes that tread lightly on the environment. We believe our experience has something to offer and we look forward to meeting with you. Doubtless there may be a small number of situations where, having worked with you, it is impossible to achieve a solution we are happy with. In such situations, should they exist, we will request detailed formal justification from the QBN office. However, we believe this position does not take from the need to engage and exchange in the first instance.
We recognise that much has been learnt since the QBC programme began in 1997 and we notice real improvements in the design and implementation of newer QBC’s such as the Coombe Bypass and Mc Mahon Bridge. We hope that we can build on this progress through partnership with the QBN Office.
1.2 Education
• We call for the QBN office engineers who are designing the proposals to meet with us and cycle the routes so that we can each learn from each other’s experiences.
• We propose that a leaflet similar to the one in Appendix A3 be created jointly by all stakeholders to educate drivers and cyclists about interaction in bus/cycle lanes.
1.3 Enforcement
On completion of any proposed works we call for a multi-agency campaign of enforcement which will concentrate in particular on:
• Speeding in the city
• Dangerous overtaking within bus/cycle lanes
• Illegal parking in bus lanes.
1.4 Engineering
Proposed measures to address cycling should be considered in a hierarchy as proposed in Cyclist.ie’s (2008) National Cycling Promotional Policy and Policy 2.1 of the Department of Transport’s (2009) National Cycle Policy Framework. The particular issues have been summarised according to this hierarchy below:
1.4.1 Traffic reduction
• The design continues to cater for vehicular capacity rather than create an urban street. Measures such as lower speed limits and the removal of left and right filter lanes should not be avoided solely because they will reduce the capacity for the free-flow of general traffic.
• We call on Dublin Bus and the Department of Transport to redesign Dublin Bus’s network and information and provide high quality high frequency bus services to further reduce traffic in the city.
1.4.2 Traffic calming
• The decision to remove this multi-lane roundabout and replace it with a signalised junction is to be commended.
• The traffic should be further calmed by reductions in speed limits and the removal of left and right filter lanes. Streets with more than two lanes in a particular direction are particularly problematic for cyclists.
1.4.3 Junction treatment and traffic management
• The two left high-capacity high-speed left filter lanes at the junction put cyclists in conflict with left-turning vehicles and should be redesigned as discussed.
• The provision of cycle lanes on left of lanes with left turning traffic is completely unacceptable. Perversely, they encourage and mandate that cyclists cycle in the position in the lane where it is generally least appropriate to do so.
1.4.4 Redistribution of the carriageway
• The realllocation of space to bus/cycle lanes is strongly welcomed as is the reallocation of space to pedestrians through the removal of the roundabout.
1.4.5 Cycle lanes, cycle tracks and cycle ways
• Cycle lanes should only be provided once all the other measures in the hierarchy have been considered. What is the justification for providing them in this case? In particular what function do the cycle lanes marked through the junction serve? How do cyclists use them and how do the cyclists interact with left and right turning traffic? The problems with some of these have been discussed above and in this submission.
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