Just a quick reminder that the Maynooth Cycling Campaign AGM will be held in the ICA Hall Leinster Street Maynooth at 8:00pm tomorrow Tuesday 11th November.
The agenda will be as follows:
Attendance/Apologies
Confirmation of Quorum
Presentation of Annual Report
Financial Statement
Elections to Management Committee
Climate Community Fund
Strategy 2026
AOB
If any member would like to join the Management Committee, please let me know in advance of the meeting at maynoothcycling@gmail.com. Everyone welcome.
Last month, Maynooth Cycling Campaign announced that we would be screening the award winning film MOTHERLOAD in May. Make a note in your diary! We are delighted to announce that it will be screened at 8:00pm on Thursday 15th May as part of Bikeweek 2025. The venue will be confirmed at a later date.
The film will be of particular interest to people who may be considering a cargo bicycle instead of a second car and who would like more information of what a Bike Library may offer.
In January, two people lost their lives in Storm Éowyn and the financial damage is estimated to be in the range of €300M.
In March, Professor Peter Thorne from Maynooth University’s Icarus Climate Research Centre appeared on RTE’s Nine O’Clock News. He stated that ‘Governments have to act now. If we don’t, things will get worse very very quickly …….. The temperature rise is not linear- its impacts are very non-linear. They are going to increase very quickly.’
The Climate Change Advisory Council stated that the government must invest now to rapidly improve its preparedness and ability to respond to extreme weather events. It called on the government to stop procrastination on the decisions that are needed.
The Climate Change Advisory Council in conjunction with the Fiscal Council and Climate Change Advisory Council also recently issued a joint report. Their report, ‘A colossal missed opportunity‘, sets out potential costs for Ireland from missing agreed EU targets. These could amount to staggering payments of between €8bn and €26bn to Europe.
In view of the rejection by Maynooth MD councillors of measures to increase bike use in the Maynooth & Environs Local Area Plan (LAP), perhaps the political parties will indicate who they think should pay the cost of larger fines – people who supported additional permeability measures to promote cycling under the LAP or people who opposed the measures?
Increase in Private Cars
In the Irish Republic, between 2000 and 2020, the number of private vehicles registered for tax rose by 63% from 1,319,250 to 2,215,1127. No one was asked to approve this increase. No one was asked about the impact on road accidents or road fatalities. No one was asked about the worsening air and noise pollution. Yet people are getting in a twist over a relatively small increase in the number of cyclists.
KCC & the Sustainable Transport Forum
When Kildare County Council abolished the Kildare Cycle Forum, it announced that the forum would be incorporated into a new Sustainable Transport Forum (STF). It took some two years for the Transport Strategic Policy Committee to establish the new forum. During the term of the last council, the last STF meeting took place in February 2024. The minutes from that meeting have still not been circulated.
Maynooth Cycling Campaign is particularly interested in the minutes as we were able to raise an issue of particular interest and importance concerning climate targets. We are waiting to see if the minutes will refer to the matter. Since the local government elections in May 2024, the Transport SPC has met once in February but the re-establishment of the Sustainable Transport Forum was not on the agenda. It suggests that a forum of sustainable transport stakeholders is not a high priority of Kildare County Council.
Maynooth Cycling Campaign is a non-party independent local lobby group in Kildare.
Maynooth Cycling Campaign will be holding an in-person public meeting at 8:00pm on Thursday 26th October in the ICA Hall, Leinster Street.
The agenda will include asks for candidates in the Local Government Elections in May 2024 and developments in cycle campaigning nationally which will have ramifications for Maynooth. There will also be a report on the second meeting of the Kildare Sustainability Forum. If you are in favour of everyday cycling and already cycle around Maynooth or would like to cycle but are put off by the existing road environment, come along and have your say. Everyone welcome!
MEETING AGENDA
County Development Plan’s Climate Targets
Cycling Without Age
Maynooth Cycling Finance
Priorities for Local Elections (May 2024)
Restructuring of Cyclist.ie/Dublin Cycling Campaign CLG
Kildare Public Participation Network /KCC’s Strategic Policy Committee /KCC’s Sustainability Forum
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.
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 