The submission below was forwarded to Kildare County Council in early December.

SUMMARY

• Maynooth Cycling Campaign supports the retention of all of the removed permeability and cycling measures on the grounds that their deletion is contrary to government policy on climate, health and road safety.

Retention of Permeability Measures (Table 7.3)

Perm 4, 6, 7, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 28, 31, 41, 42, 44, 46, 52, 54, 61, 63, 75, 86, 93, 94, 97, 98, 113, 125, 128, 134, 137, 139, 

Retention of Cycling Measures (Table 7.3)

Cycle 20, 52, 57

We support the retention of all of the permeability and cycling measures. There are plenty of existing examples of permeability in Maynooth. While some are not so good in terms of width, most permeability links are good to very good and are positive features for the residential estates in question.

• Although not explicitly appearing in the LAP, the LAP references the targets for future modes of travel in the Maynooth & Environs Area Based Transport Assessment. Unfortunately these do not make mathematical sense given that the totals sum up in excess of 100%. Best national and international practice is that they amount to 100% and if one mode of travel increases in percentage, another mode must decrease by an equivalent amount. Targets at a micro level (at town level) rather than at national level must be included in the LAP in order to allow government to monitor and report progress on an annual basis. 

The proposed deletion of the permeability measures will make it more difficult to achieve any target of increased active travel. 

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• Maynooth Cycling Campaign suggests that Kildare County Council could have done much more to prepare local people for the prospect of  increased permeability as it failed to make the case for their inclusion in advance of the publication of the Local Area Plan.

• Although child safety was cited as a reason by residents and parents opposed to  some of the permeability measures, international experience shows that dedicated cycling and walking linkages promote child safety by keeping them away from busy roads and intersections.  

OPPOSITION TO CYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE

Maynooth has a track record of opposition to proposed cycle infrastructure, especially where it involves reallocation of space from cars. This was the case 

• On the Straffan Road when officials proposed to remove the turn right turning lane into residential estates.
• On Carton Avenue when officials proposed to turn the footpath into a shared path.
• On Parsons Street when it was proposed to trial the restriction of motorised traffic to flow in one direction.

Albert Einstein is reputed to have said “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. Kildare County Council should have learnt from these episodes that residents, especially drivers,  would not meekly accept its plans for active travel without any opposition. 

Kildare County Council  should also have learnt from the report Active travel infrastructure design and implementation: Insights from behavioral science by the ESRI in conjunction with Fingal County Council. The report looked at the results of 180 international active travel schemes. There was lots of opposition to the schemes initially with people expecting negative effects on traffic and local businesses. The  experience internationally, however, is that when implemented, active travel schemes were positively received. Most business owners associate car drivers with bigger spending. However, while active travellers spend less money per visit to local businesses, they visit businesses more often and so end up spending more.

How to allay fears?  Everyone is subject to  inherent bias. People make a judgment on something based on their beliefs or previous experience. Few people though have experience of the wider benefits of increased cycling but most feel that they will be disadvantaged by it. The researchers also found a second bias – the primary effect bias. Primary effect bias is where If a person’s initial reaction to a proposal is negative, it is then very difficult to get them to change their mind. Most people do not like change and fear the worst of change in their circumstances. When change is implemented, people find that it is not as bad as feared. 

To overcome bias resulting in opposition to their proposals,  Kildare County Council must do more to make the positive case for change. In particular, there has never been any attempt to summarise the transport strategy Maynooth & Environs Area Based Transport Assessment into a document which is circulated to every home in Maynooth and which explains in plain terms what is planned for the community, why it is necessary and what are the impacts both good and bad.   

This submission concerns four areas – Targets for Travel Modes and three areas where the deletion of permeability and cycling measures are not in accordance with government strategies and policies, namely in the areas of  Climate Action, Health and Road Safety.

TARGETS FOR TRAVEL MODES

The LAP does not include any targets for different modes of travel. Instead it references the targets set out in the Maynooth & Environs Area Based Transport Assessment (and the County Development Plan). See copy of Table 2-1 from the Assessment.

Table 2-1 Journeys to Work Share Targets to County Kildare in draft CDP

The Assessment includes existing modal splits for transport and as well as future targets. If a mode of transport increases, another mode or modes must reduce by an equivalent amount in order for all modes to sum up to 100%. Targets should be challenging and achievable but the future targets make no sense as they amount to more than 100%. See Table 2-1 above  from the Assessment. This is not in line with best practice either nationally or internationally. Targets at a micro level (at town level) must be included in the LAP in order to allow government to monitor and report progress on an annual basis. Regardless of the future targets, the deletion of permeability measures will make achieving them even  more difficult.

CLIMATE ACTION

Climate is one of the major threats to the future of Kildare, Ireland and the rest of the world.  The Dáil formally recognised this threat when it declared a climate emergency in 2019.  Kildare County Council also recognised the climate emergency in a vote by its elected members. The government, representing the people of Ireland, is legally committed to a 50% reduction in carbon emissions from the transport sector by 2030. The Climate Plan details a wide range of measures which includes a significant increase in the level of active travel and a consequent reduction in use of private cars.

In the 1970s,  the Netherlands was the first country to explicitly attempt to decrease car use and to increase the level of cycling.   The first two attempts to increase cycling had mixed results but didn’t lead to more cycling overall.  

In 1979 Delft was the third city to try to increase cycling and the authorities there took a different and innovative area wide approach. The reason for this area-wide experiment was the increasing modal share of private motor traffic. The city already had an  existing cycle network but Delft had noted that there were a lot of missing links. A consultant summarised the need for the Delft Cycle Plan as “The local government wished to increase the modal share of cycling!”. The two essential elements were they planned an area wide network and identified the missing links.  This was the most successful plan to significantly increase the level of cycling and formed the model for other Dutch cities to follow for the next forty years.

 Although considerably smaller than Delft, Maynooth has a rudimentary network with segregated or shared  cycle infrastructure on the Straffan, Kilcock, Moyglare Roads and Mariavilla. Like Delft, residential estates in Maynooth do not generally require dedicated cycle facilities but if Kildare County Council is serious about significantly increasing the level of cycling in Maynooth, it must follow the best international practice in the Netherlands and address the lack of permeability. 

The Climate Plans and associated documentation set out a comprehensive list of measures required to reduce carbon emissions. The Climate Plan 2024 Annex of Actions identified local authorities as having a key role in developing cycle infrastructure and achieving modal shift. 

Climate Action Plan 2024

15.2.4 Shift 15.2.4.1 

Active Travel Infrastructure and Accessibility Work Programme 

The provision of safe and accessible walking and cycling infrastructure is key to encouraging modal shift away from private car use and towards walking and cycling. The role of local authorities in the development of active travel infrastructure cannot be overstated ….

While the use of private cars is not the only source of carbon emissions, it is a significant one. The widespread deletion of permeability measures by councillors is contrary to the government’s Climate Action Plans as it will have a negative impact on a proven strategy to increase the level of cycling. 

In a recent interview on RTE, the Chair of the Climate Change Advisory Council Marie Donnelly said that the main reason for Ireland not meeting its climate targets is due to transport, where emissions are “stubbornly high”. 

The  Climate Advisory Council has reported that Ireland is unlikely to achieve the required 50% reduction in emissions by 2030. It has also  highlighted that emissions have continued to increase in 2023 rather than decrease. It warns that the cost of failing to meet Ireland 2030 climate targets could exceed €8 billion. This is the equivalent of more than 60% of the recent Apple windfall. As several countries like Ireland are unlikely to meet their emission target, it is likely that more countries will be chasing carbon credits than will be offering them. As a result, the cost of carbon credits could rise significantly.

To maximise reduction of carbon emissions, local authorities must offer the community an alternative  mode of travel to the private car. As the inclusion of permeability measures is critical to the achievement of government targets, the permeability measures should be retained. 

Furthermore, Kildare County Council selected Maynooth as its model Decarbonisation Zone. As one of approximately 26 Decarbonation Zones, Maynooth is intended to be a role model for other areas within the County and indeed within the country. Blocking the development of cycling and walking networks by the deletion of permeability links will impact on decarbonising elsewhere in Kildare and in the rest of the country and would be contrary to the demonstration of best Irish practice.

HEALTH 

How active are Irish people? The National Survey of Lifestyles Attitudes and Nutrition (SLÁN 2007) showed that only 41% of Irish adults took part in moderate or strenuous physical activity for at least 20 minutes three or more times a week. 

The Health Behaviours in School Children (HBSC, 2006) survey revealed that over half of primary school age children did not achieve the recommended level of physical activity. By 15 years of age, almost nine out of 10 girls and seven out of 10 boys don’t achieve the recommended level.

The cost of health care provision in Ireland due to physical inactivity is not available but on the basis of international research, physical inactivity has been estimated to cost about €150-300 per citizen per year. In a worst case scenario this could imply a cost in Ireland of approximately €1.5 billion per year. (WHO, 2006 Physical Activity and Health in Europe Evidence for Action) 

A fundamental part of improving community health is ensuring that people are enabled to be more active. Sports clubs and gyms encourage mobility but large sections of the population do not take part in formal or informal  forms of exercise. The countries which are most successful at encouraging mobility, build it into everyday movement by enabling active travel. 

HSE and Healthy Ireland

The Health Service Executive (HSE) manages public health services in Ireland. One service, Healthy Ireland brings together stakeholders including  government departments, public sector organisations, businesses, communities and individuals to improve health and wellbeing and reduce the risks posed to future generations.

Healthy Ireland’s Get Ireland Active!  – National Physical Activity Plan for Ireland

The National Physical Activity Plan for Ireland sets out a strategy to reduce inactivity in communities. It states:

Promoting the use of the natural and built environment and promoting active transport are the most practical and sustainable ways to increase physical activity as part of everyday routine. The built environment is an important determinant of physical activity behaviour. The way the built environment is designed, planned and built can also act as a barrier to being active and can reinforce sedentary behaviour and car dependence.                                                            (My emphasis)

Action Area 4 deals with the Environment. It includes 7 actions, of which three list local authorities as the lead partner and  a further two list local authorities as partners.

National Sports Policy 2018 – 2027

The National Sports Policy 2018 – 2027 highlights the Leading Role for Local Authorities:

Local Authorities are key stakeholders in the context of the public spaces which are widely used for sport and physical activity. They manage the public parks; they are responsible for the local road network; 

For the above reasons, we believe that Local Authorities are well positioned to be charged within the policy with a formal leadership role in facilitating the drive towards greater participation at a local level throughout the population. 

• The development and evaluation of interventions aimed at reducing sedentary behaviour in children and adults is a priority. 
• There is a growing body of evidence linking sedentary behaviour with chronic disease morbidity and mortality in adults and preliminary evidence to suggest sedentary behaviour may also be a health risk in children and young people. 

Healthy Kildare Plan 2022-26

 One of the priorities of the Healthy Kildare Plan 2022-26 is Healthy Spaces and Places. The High Level Goals  includes 

Improve sustainability and longevity of programmes by encouraging active travel ………

Theme: Healthy Places and Environments 

Strategic Objective 6: To support the development of new spaces, places and environments that promote positive Health and Wellbeing across Kildare 

Key Action 6.3 To inform and support the development of greenways, cycleways and walkways across the County and promote sustainable transport 

Successive health policies and strategies all stress the important role of local authorities in increasing community health through enabling active travel.

While elected councillors have a role in representing the views of the public (which councillors have done in relation to the issue of permeability in the Maynooth LAP,) councillors also have a responsibility in implementing central government policies as well as its own policies on health. As a result, the  proposed permeability measures should be retained in the LAP.

ROAD SAFETY STRATEGY

After several years when Ireland improved road safety, the number of road fatalities increased significantly and is unlikely to achieve the European target of a 50% reduction in road fatalities by 2030 relative to the base year of 2019. Much of the  existing cycle infrastructure is low quality. Moyglare Road shared path is not fit for purpose at peak times. Cyclists need more and better options to reduce the risk of collisions.  
Child safety was cited as a reason by some residents and parents opposed to the permeability measures. International experience shows the opposite.  One of the drivers of change in the Netherlands in the 1970s was the scale of road fatalities. The deaths of over 400 children per annum gave rise to a widespread campaign “Stop de Kindermoord” or “Stop the Child Murder. The provision of permeability links in Maynooth would offer people – young and old –  an alternative to  roads with either low quality cycling infrastructure or with no dedicated infrastructure. The absence of such links will endanger an increased number of vulnerable road users.