(This article was taken from the European Commission website.)
EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK is the European Commission’s flagship awareness-raising campaign on sustainable urban mobility. It encourages behavioural change in favour of active mobility, public transport and other clean, intelligent transport solutions.
The main event takes place from 16-22 September this year, culminating in the popular Car-Free Day. Local authorities are encouraged to use the main week to try out innovative planning measures, promote new infrastructure and technologies, measure air quality, and get feedback from the public.
Towns and cities are able to register all of the activities they plan to carry out to celebrate the campaign, including: organising activities focused on sustainable mobility during the main event week, implementing one or more permanent transport measures throughout the year, and holding a ‘Car-Free-Day’. Participating towns and cities are strongly encouraged to implement all three activities!
With more towns and cities joining every year, and with its huge media appeal, the campaign is widely recognised as a driving force towards sustainable urban mobility in Europe and beyond. In Ireland, the Dublin local authorities and Cork are participating. Kildare??? Eh, no…..
Maynooth Cycling Campaign took possession of the Trio trishaw in early March and launched it publically at the St. Patricks Day Parade.
Training of Pilots
As we had 8-10 volunteer pilots, the first priority was training. We contacted Clara Clark who first set up the first Cycling Without Age chapter in Ireland in Dun Laoghaire. It took number of weeks to arrange a date that would suit volunteers in Maynooth and at the same time suit Clara. Training was eventually arranged for Saturday 27th May but only three were able to make the training . The Cycling Without Age manager received training some weeks later.
Currently, we have five people who have received training to operate the trishaw and who are confident to take out members of the public. Four are pilots.
With a number of pilots fully trained, our second priority was to start offering cycles to the people who were unable to cycle on their own. After that, we planned to concentrate on increasing the availability of pilots.
We brought the trishaw to the Picnic in the Park which was organised by Maynooth Community Council and Kildare County Council (Climate Action Section). The objective was to publicise the trishaw and to offer cycles to members of the public without having to book.
Software
Maynooth Cycling Campaign proposes to use Book2Go software – an internet based booking system which was developed by Copenhagen Cycles to manage pilots and bookings. It is an email based system. Final details have still to be confirmed.
Reporting System
We developed a reporting procedure for pilots to highlight either safety or mechanical concerns.
The report also records key data such as distance travelled and battery condition.
Open for Business
Maynooth Cycling Without Age opened for bookings on Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays from the start of August.
We have been in contact with Maynooth Access Group, Celbridge Access Group and Kildare Access Group to inform them of our operations. We have also contacted Maynooth Lodge Nursing Home, Moyglare Nursing Home and Parke House Nursing Home in Kilcock. We have had discussions with Maynooth Library and they agreed to make booking for people who prefer to book in person rather than via a smart phone or tablet.
For a number of reasons, we have not been in recent contact with Genil Training – St. John of God re use of the trishaw between Monday and Friday.
Next Steps
The next steps are to as follows:
Increase publicity and public awareness of Cycling Without Age
Organise a “Train the Trainer” session.
Organise a training session for the volunteer pilots who haven’t received training yet.
Organise a training session for John of God pilots.
Acknowledgement of Contribution
We would like to thank Kildare County Council, Kildare Sports Partnership and Healthy Ireland who have contributed financial support towards the purchase of the trishaw. Kildare County Council has also allocated funding for ongoing costs during the year from the Kildare Community Fund and from the Local Property Tax.
We are also grateful to Maynooth University for permission to store the trishaw on their premises.
Cyclist.iePress Release – Urgent Pivots in Policy, Practice and the Sponsorship of Media Programs Needed
Cyclist.ie is incredibly concerned by the latest data released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that show transport as by far the worst performing sector in Irish society and the economy in terms of tackling its emissions.
The EPA’s data, as issued on 13 July 2023 (see [1] and [2] below), show that transport emissions increased by 6 per cent in 2022; transport’s emissions were 10.978 Mt CO2 eq in 2021 and this increased to 11.634 Mt CO2 eq in 2022. The EPA reports that “overall higher transport activity – both private cars and freight transport – is eroding the impact of electric vehicles.”
Cyclist.ie is deeply disturbed by the absence of real and urgent action in transforming our transport system so that we can enter a rapid period of decarbonising the sector. We know from our legally binding sectoral emissions ceilings that transport needs to halve its emissions from 12 MtCO2eq (2018 figures) to 6 MtCO2eq by 2030 [2]. Furthermore, we are all acutely aware that the EPA’s figures have been released in the week that a heat wave is sweeping across parts of southern Europe, and temperatures are expected to surpass 40C (104F) in parts of Spain, France, Greece, Croatia and Turkey. [3]
National Cycling Coordinator with Cyclist.ie and An Taisce, Dr. Damien Ó Tuama, stated “we are simply on the wrong trajectory with transport. At this point, emissions from transport need to be reducing every single year from here on in – not rising by 6% in a single year”. He continued: “We need rapid action in multiple domains immediately. We need to be increasing further the spend on high quality active travel schemes and the ‘quick-wins’ with enhancing public transport provision. When are we going to see a halt to the domination of our airwaves by adverts urging us to buy ever-bigger Sports Utility Vehicles for our micro-urban trips? When are we going to have our most popular public radio and TV shows not sponsored by car companies with the inevitable framing of ‘normal life’ as being characterised by owning super-sized 2000+ kg metal boxes?”
Cyclist.ie asks – “where are the political and business leaders articulating a vision of a low carbon future where one can lead a fulfilled life without owning climate destructive personal transport vehicles? Where is the moral leadership on all of this?” Cyclist.ie points to the leadership shown in Paris recently where city hall is to impose higher parking fees on owners of SUVs in its battle to reduce pollution in the capital [4]. Vice-Chairperson of Cyclist.ie, Dave Tobin, added “We need similar policies introduced in Irish cities so as to completely rebalance how mobility happens. Without such urgent action, we are complicit in passing on a burning planetary ball to our children to deal with.” This is the opposite of the mature and responsible approach we now need.
ENDS
Notes for Editors Cyclist.ie – the Irish Cycling Advocacy Network, which brings together 35 groups/branches around Ireland who are campaigning locally on cycling safety and promotion, is the organised voice for cycling advocacy in Ireland. It was founded in 2008, building on the campaigning work of its founding member groups, who themselves came into being in the early and mid 1990s in response to the virtual exclusion of cycling and walking from transport policy and practice, and to the massive danger posed to walkers and cyclists by the systematic growth in motorised mobility. https://cyclist.ie/
Maynooth Community Council working in partnership with Kildare County Council invite you to a great day out, the “Picnic in the Park”, on June 18th-there will be good food, ice cream, face painting, nature walks and various acts. Community groups will have their stalls for you to chat to them about all the wonderful and diverse activities that take place in our town.
With the focus this year is on sustainability and climate action, the event has a serious side and officials from the Climate Action Section will be present. With our interest in the the promotion of cycling as part of decarbonisation of transport, Maynooth Cycling Campaign will be there so if you are passing, why not drop in for a chat and find out our plans fpr the future.
NOTE : The FILM NIGHT has beed postponed until SUNDAY
Kildare County Council has organised a number of events in the county to celebrate Bike Week 2023. Maynooth Cycling Campaign wishes to support Kildare County Council in its efforts to promote cycling in the county and has organised a number of additional events. The programme is as follows .
Well, we finally launched the Cycling without Age trishaw in Maynooth at the parade on St. Patricks Day. That was our goal from last September but although we thought that we had everything in hand, there were a number of last minute hickcups which threatened to spoil the occasion but everything fell into place in the final week – apart from the weather.
The rain held off for the early part of the parade but as we approached the viewing gallery, it turned very wet. We also lost our passenger. We had planned to carry Peter but on the day he preferred to walk like most people in other groups so the trishaw looked a little empty with only the pilot on it.
We could see that the trishaw received a number of puzzled looks. Most people recognised it as a special type of bike which is what we wanted so we ended up happy with our efforts and a determination to have a bigger show for Bike Week which takes place in May from 13th to 21st. But that is for another day!
When the parade was over, we were even happier when wen learnt that Maynooth Cycling Campaign’s entry was selected by the Parade Organising Committee for the Best Portrayal of Environmental Awareness.
2. There is a high chance of rain on Friday so please wear appropriate clothing.
3. Our position number is 18 and will be sprayed on the footpath. We must line up there.
4. Please note that we are lining up on the Straffan Road.
5. The road closures are from 10.30am to 12.30pm.
6. The parade will finish at Tesco.
7. The Awards Ceremony will take place in Manor Mills Shopping Centre at 1pm. Everyone is encouraged to go there after the parade. There will be entertainment provided.
8. The Parade has teamed up with Maynooth Autism Friendly Town and there will be an InclusiveQuiet Zonefrom Silken Vale to the Train Station. This area will be clearly marked with Banners and Bunting.
9. The Parade Stewards are:
Straffan Road: Naoise Ó Cearúil (086) 728 0050 Steve McCarthy (085) 727 5711
Main Street: Paul Croghan (087) 243 6973 Gerry Quinn (085) 777 66688
Maynooth Cycling Campaign is delighted to reveal that before Christmas, it ordered a Danish trishaw as part of Cycling Without Age (CWA) in Kildare. Cycling Without Age is an international community based movement which enables the elderly or people with mobility problems to enjoy the pleasures of cycling by riding a trishaw although they may not be physically able to cycle on their own. A trishaw is a cross between a tricycle and a rickshaw which carries a pilot and two passengers. The pilot controls the trishaw and brings the passengers to a park, along a greenway or just around their local town.
We are grateful for financial assistance from Kildare Sports Partnership, Kildare County Council and Healthy Ireland for its purchase. Delivery is due in March – before St. Patrick’s Day. We propose to use the trishaw at weekends so are looking for a number of people to volunteer as pilots. If you are interested, email us at maynoothcycling@gmail.com. Training is provisionally arranged for early March. We have had preliminary discussions with Genil Training/St. John of God regarding use of the trishaw Monday to Friday. The one outstanding problem is somewhere to store the trishaw. We have raised the matter with Maynooth University and are hoping that they will grant us permission to store it in one of their secure bike sheds but to date this has not been confirmed.
Cycling Without Age was started by Ole Kassow in Copenhagen 2012. Ole wanted to help the elderly get back on their bicycles, but he had to find a solution to their limited mobility. The answer was a trishaw and he started offering free bike rides to the local nursing home residents. It spread from Copenhagen across Denmark and then went international. Now it has a presence in more than 50 countries with over 3,700 trishaws and 35,000 trained pilots.
It was established in Ireland in 2017 by Clara Clarke in Dun Laoghaire but now there are over 70 CWA trishaws in locations including Dun Laoghaire, Dublin, Blanchardstown, Clonakilty, Wexford Town, Cashel and Tipperary. Next month Maynooth will join that list.
On-street parking may be a given for cars, but for bikes, it is not an option due to the threat of theft. Most homeowners will wheel their bikes around through the side gate for storage in a locked shed, but what are residents in terraced houses or apartments with perhaps shared or first floor entrances to do? The answer is either to store the bicycles in the house, wheel them through living areas or lock them to an outside railing and hope for the best.
For the recreational weekend cyclist, wheeling a very light bike through the house is not a problem, but for commuting cyclists, perhaps with multiple bikes for the school run, this is not feasible to do twice a day.
One solution that has been rolled out by Dublin City Council and more recently by Waterford Council are bike hangers (which are also known as bike bunkers). These hangers are designed to fit in a parking space, have space for eight bikes, and enclose bikes in a lockable hood to allow access to only those with a key.
A solution for Maynooth?
In Maynooth, most housing estates do come with side access, but there are a few areas of terraced housing and high density apartments that this solution is tailor made for. Maynooth Cycling Campaign have approached Councillors with a proposal for a trial installation at Leinster Cottages, just behind the Main Street, with the Councillors and area engineer responding positively with possibly the main barrier being the administrative burden.
There are other bicycle storage solutions in Maynooth at both Tesco and the train station; the one at Tesco is operated by a private company and so is pay by the hour, so unsuitable for long term habitual storage. The train station lockers are based on a similar model. Both of these models allot a large enclosed storage area for a single bicycle tenant, and so are aimed at the owners of expensive bicycles, as the alternative of chaining the bicycle to a rack is riskier but free of charge. They are not a suitable model for households which may have multiple kids bikes and need to store overnight, every night.
Maynooth Cycling Campaign are currently looking for other suitable locations around the town with terraced houses or apartments without street access to a garden. If you have need for a bike hanger and think that there is a suitable location near you, please let us know at maynoothcycling@gmail.com.
Maynooth Cycling Campaign 