Shared walking and cycling signs have been up on many entry points to Capel Street since 2022.Comment & Analysis: Cllr Mannix Flynn misleadingly claimed at a recent council meeting that councillors were led to believe Capel St and Parliament St were to be pedestrianised, and since this website covered Cllr Flynns view, a number of people have said that they share his version of events the problem is that theres both Dublin City Council documeninaion and media reports which shows that this is revisionism.While Dublin City Council might have mentioned pedestrianisingthe odd time, they overwhelmingly used traffic-free to mean motor traffic-free. Sure, this may be problematic. It is true that cycling can sometimes be counted as traffic, but Dublin City Council even counts pedestrians in traffic counts.Overall, as our cities and towns are redesigned to be less car-dominated, we will need to follow other European countries and include flexibility. That flexibility will not only include providing for cycling, where pushing cyclists to go around is unrealistic and/or pushing them into danger, but it will also have to include where cars are allowed for limited access for different reasons. We dont have much experience with these spaces yet, so there clearly isnt a common language to describe lower traffic or lower car areas.With Capel Street, many media outlets often or exclusively referred to it as pedestrianisation even this publication did until it became clear that doing so was leading some people to misunderstand that cycling was not allowed.Its worth saying that the main focus back in 2021 was opening up public space to people because of Covid, such as giving people outdoor dining options. And on the weekend in the evening, allowing cycling access was not as important, but cycling was allowed, just as emergency access was provided for (it was also not mentioned in the headlines).The council could have said car-free like this publication mainly has, but that would lead to some smart ass asking, Does that mean I can drive my van down it?Public consultations in 2021 and 2022A Dublin City Council consultation report in 2021 describing the Covid measures:On Capel Street this meant closing off all access routes to the street for vehicles, while ensuring thatpedestrians, cyclists and emergency services would have full access.A Dublin City Council consultation report describing planned measures in May 2022 outlines that there are concerns between pedestrians and cyclists, as well as how pedestrians and cyclists are the main users of the street.March 2022:The Irish Independent reported New plans will make Capel Street the longest pedestrianised street in Dublin, but within this article, it was also covered how cycling was to be allowed:April 2022: RTE.ie reported how there was Mixed reactions as Dublins Capel Street to go traffic free and this also included how cycling was to be allowed:Emergency vehicles will have access to the street at all times and cycling will also still be allowed.May 2022:The Irish Times ran an article with the headline Capel Street becomes Dublins longest traffic-free street and standfirst Some businesses and residents remain doubtful over pedestrianisation benefits with the second paragraph explaining this included cycling:With a 400m pedestrian and cycle area stretching from Parnell Street and Ryders Row at its northern end, to Strand Street in the south, Capel Streets traffic exclusion zone exceeds both Henry Street and Grafton Street in length.September 2022The Dublin Inquirer ran an article with the headline: Capel Streets Car-Free Status Is Up for Debate Again, and within the article, it covered how: Councillors at the meeting said the decision to remove traffic from Capel Street and open it up to pedestrians and cyclists was due for a review after six months so, very soon Thecouncil reportpresented Tuesday says there has been an uptick in pedestrians and cyclists using Capel Street and a 93 percent reduction in vehicles on the street.The article linked to a Central Area Committee meeting (no longer online) from April 27th, 2022, in which it was described as follows:Back inApril, all the Central Area councillors who spoke said they were in favour of the plan to close most of Capel Street to traffic, and make space for pedestrians and cyclists.Im trying to use other sources and not just quote IrishCycle.com, but, in September 2022, this website also covered how Car-free Capel Street may be in trouble as councillors lobbied by businesses and motorists. The opening paragraph said: There is growing concern that the car-free Capel Street scheme will be removed, watered down or that cycling will be banned on what officials term as an important north-south link.However, if you had only read articles in some other publications in the same year, for example, The Journal or Breakingnews.ie, you might have missed the fact that cycling was to be allowed.Parliament StreetIt was even clearer that the changes to Parliament Street would provide for cycling. In the 2023 Dublin City Centre Transport Plan, the street was even shown with wide footpaths but a dedicated cycle path in the middle (rather than the shared surface where that now exists, same as Capel Street).Fast-forward to the public consultation for Parliament Street in May 2025, the provision for cycling was even clearer directly on the consultation page without having to read a single bit of the consultation report:As outlined in the Dublin City Transport Plan 2023, adopted in July 2024 by the elected members of Dublin City Council, and following the successful transformation of Capel Street into a traffic free environment, it is the intention to replicate this scheme on Parliament Street, introducing a car free corridor for pedestrian and cyclists on the western edge of the city centre retail core.While people might have been unaware or might have only read headlines, if people see this evidence and contuine to support Cllr Flynns claims, its total revisionism.

Divisive daily radio discussions pushing people who drive and cycle against each other criticised. Dublin City Council was praised for its 35-minute response time, but after a warning was posted on social media about the screws drilled into a cycle lane on the Old Cabra Road, a resident had already removed them. A local councillor had said that the council should refer the issue to the Gardai, and a commuter group linked the action of booby trapping the cycle lane to divisive media coverage. Locals who use the road said the protected cycle lanes are used by school children.Dublin Commuters, a group which advocates for sustainable transport, this afternoon warned on Bluesky and X: Cyclists Beware!!! There are reports of sabotage in the cycle lane on the Old Cabra Road inbound near the Maple Centre. Someone has drilled Torx screws into the cycle track, and its damaging tyres. Be careful if youre cycling in the area.IMAGES: Dublin Commuters posted these photos of the screws in the cycle lane with close-up images of the screws. Dublin City Councils road maintenance division had somebody on site to remove the screws a short time after it was reported, but according to a local councillor, it seems residents had already removed the screws. Cllr Feljin Jose (Green Party) said: A local resident has kindly removed the screws from the cycle lane on Old Cabra Road. The 35-minute response time from Dublin City Council was impressive, but the early bird gets the screw!Cllr Jose told IrishCycle.com: It was a reckless and nasty thing to do, and Dublin City Council should refer it to the Gardai for investigation. Somebody could have been killed.He added: I called the council this afternoon, and to be fair to them, they came out within about 35 minutes, and by then someone had removed it, thankfully. They did take it seriously and sent someone down.IMAGES: Posted by Cllr Jose shows a council staff member on site, but the screws have already been removed. Jason Cullen, chairperson of Dublin Commuter, said: The Dublin Commuter Coalition were deeply concerned to discover that screws had been placed in the centre of a busy cycle track on the Old Cabra Road, seemingly to sabotage cyclists on their daily commute.It comes in the wake of growing discontent between vehicle drivers and active travel users, much of which is propagated by daily radio discussions pushing the two groups against each other, he said.He added: Everyone is experiencing frustration as they go to and from their homes each day, but that should be aimed at continuous Governments who have failed to fund and deliver transport infrastructure for everybody, not the people just trying to get to their destination.

Comment & Analysis: Its a common story. As the common claim goes, theres nobody using cycle lanes.Its also nearly always horribly wrong in different ways its said about poor cycle lanes that people wont be attracted to use because of their flaws, and its said about good cycle lanes because people cycling dont get stuck in traffic jams on them, because bicycles are far more space efficient than cars.In the case of a new cycle route in Carlow town, a voice captured on video posted to Facebook said the quotes in the above headline, and they added: Youd land a plane on that thing.But it didnt take an in-depth investigation to find out that nobody was using the lane: the project isnt finished and isnt well connected to anything else yet.IrishCycle.com often hears these claims. Rather than dismissing them, I try to examine them. Although sometimes its worth dismissing people out of hand when people mention cyclists not using cycle lanes in areas where there are only rubbish cycle lanes.In Carlow, phase one of the project, the Carlow to SETU (South East Technological University) Pedestrian & Cycle Scheme, is still not finished. Theres a clue to this in the video theres no line marking on the cycle lanes. And phase two, which will connect SETU to parts of Carlow, including new and older cycling infrastructure of varying quality, is under construction. The huge clue to this fact is the road works holding up the traffic, which the people in the van should be aware of (of course, the context isnt mentioned in the video).The reality for most of the route, especially for motorists obeying the law, is that very little is changing. For example, at the point in the video clip was taken, there was a painted buffer which did not allow for overtaking, and now theres a solid white line which also does not allow for overtaking. The lad posting the video also mentions fictional road tax (which really isnt a real thing, and the idea of taxing cyclists is just daft).But he also asks: When does common sense come into play. My answer is that maybe it comes into play when people stop pretending projects are finished before they start asking, Where are the cyclists?Few cycle lanes are going to fill up straight away. Even when theres somewhat expected latent demand. But is it really too much to ask for to wait until a route is built before you start ranting about Where are the cyclists?Just two days ago, this website published an article with the headline: Cycle lanes are empty is same mindet as bus lanes are empty cranks Dubliners should be mad they dont have more cycle lanes.That article posed the following questions: Most people are not going to cycle when theres disjointed bits of cycle lanes here and there, as is the case now Are Dublin City Councils officials or councillors expecting otherwise? Why are they acting as if they do? If not, why is there not a greater focus on connecting the network before building routes elsewhere?To give some support for this, we dont even have to look at pioneering research from decades ago in the Netherlands, which told us networks are needed, not just single routes. We can also look to London. In the citys Vision Zero action plan 2, Transport for London outlines that:Cycleways support a third of all cycle journeys across London. The vast majority (85 per cent) of cycling casualties happen off the cycleway network. Protected cycle routes have been linked to a 40 to 65 per cent reduction in cycling risk.Build it, and they will come. And Londons cycle network is still a work in progress.Will as many people use cycle lanes in Carlow as in London? Of course not. But in a town of something like 27,000 within a 3km radius of the town centre, theres a significant potential to shift shorter trips to cycling. The route on this road will serve both the third-level college and a secondary school. We know the wide-ranging benefits from health to the environment to mobility we just have to keep cutting past the loud people saying silly things.Under the article the other day, a comment was posted which said: Load of crap! Cycle lanes all around Walkinstown/ Greenhills/Ballyfermot and the idiots still cycle out in the middle of the road. It should be made mandatory that cyclists use them where provided full stop.As somebody who cycled from the city centre to Ballyfemot daily around 2009 and went a load of different ways each with their own faults Im bemused with the idea that anybody could think cycle lanes in the area could ever be used as a reasonable argument for the mandatory use of cycle lanes (see images below). Sadly, there have been few changes over a decade and a half since I commuted in the area. And this goes on and on. I worry for the ability of many motorists to drive safely, given that so many of them cannot see the state of our cycle lanes especially the older ones, but including some bits of newer ones.

Comment & Analysis: When they come up against opposition, Dublin City Councils active travel office has made a habit of deferring action with projects often going into prolonged review stages. This costs more and prolongs the delivery of road safety and climate action measures it serves nobody well. Before answering the question in the headline, its worth looking at whats currently proposed.A two-way cycle path is proposed along Chapelizod Road from the junction with the Parkgate Street entrance to the Phoenix Park to the entrance to the grandly named Kings Hall housing development (think 1990s, not 1890s) the two-way cycle path is outlined as a green line below.As covered in another article, the design of the cycle path is poor, and it needs to be fixed. The good news is that it can be fixed without major changes or impacts.For context: Also shown is the existing shared greenway path beside the south side of Chapelizod and the Irish National War Memorial Gardens (light blue line), and the under-construction Commemorative Bridge (darker blue), which will span the Liffey between the gardens and the Chapelizod Road beside the Phoenix Park. It does not bridge the road, as some more visionary but never-built concepts did, but the active travel project will help link the two parks.Its worth saying that, despite some people commenting online claiming otherwise, the project does not change the two general traffic lanes on the approach to St Patricks National School at the junction between Chapelizod Road and Main Street (Martins Row) in Chapelizod, and theres no plans to put cycle lanes on the narrow seections of the two-way roads around the village.With bus lanes, Chapelizod Road has two sections of single-directional bus lanes one in the inbound direction towards the city centre and one in the outbound direction to Chapelizod village. The city centre lane is to be retained, but the plan is to remove the Chapelizod bus lane to provide for the two-way cycle path.The reason why the bus lanes are only closer to the two ends is because, on this road, thats mainly where they are needed.And a local Facebook page, Chapelizod Chap Lips, has highlighted the issue with removing the bus lane at the village end. In a post with a video clip, the page said: Filmed this evening as an example of why that bus lane is in place and replacing it with a cycle lane will force the bus to sit in general traffic.The video shows the bus using the bus lane to speed past cars and vans, until it seems to stop in a place where it might not be usual to stopEverything might not be as simple as it seems. A comment under the video clip posts a photo of cars in the bus lane and said: 5.20 Wednesday evening both lanes full and bus stuck, imagine if there was only one lane!To be clear, the photo of the motorists illegally using the bus lane was taken around the same point where the video clip ends. It could well be a coincidence, but this is a bus lane known to be often blocked by motorists, and the obstruction by motorists usually does not start until closer to the junction. The clip starts as the bus driver pulls away from the bus stop (shown with the blue marker to the right of the image below) and ends before the end of the proposed cycle path (shown in green with black arrow pointing to the end). The bus lane currently ends at the pink arrow. Basically, of the 800 metres of bus lane, the last 200-300 metres is doing the hard work that is, when its not full of cars.So, if theres a collective honest concern about bus priority, something needs to be done about the cars in the bus lane. Segregating the bus lane with plastic bollards has worked to some level or another in other parts of the city. A compromise here is to cut the cycle lane short say, to somewhere like the church (shown with the blue arrow above) and then protect the last 200 metres or so of the bus lane with bollards. This would offer a balance by providing cycling segregation as far as the more built-up area near the village (where a 30km/h speed limit could be applied). It would be a bit of a downgrade, but would still allow for cycling segregation where speeds are likely to be higher between this end of Chapelizod and Islandbridge/the city centre. If people really wanted to give buses priority, a protected bus lane could even be extended closer to the junction. Extending it the whole way to the junction is possible by reducing general traffic to one lane, but because of traffic light sequencing, that may affect the operation of the junction and slow buses going towards the city centre.Thats why balance often needs to be looked at. The compromise of shortening the cycle path to somewhere around the church and then protecting the rest of the bus lane seems like a good balance of all the competing demands on space.

More people are cycling, but a faster-built connected network is needed to step it up a gear. A few short projects in Dublin City Centre could add to a developing network, but Dublin City Council is using a scatter gun approach to route building. Comment & Analysis: Despite what the doubters think, survey after survey shows that most people in Ireland, including Dublin, want more cycle lanes.As covered on these pages recently, that still leaves a significant number of people who dont support investing in cycling a significant minority can seem very loud at times.And I can nearly hear somebody say: But all of my mates hate cycle lanes heres the thing, the data is from population-level representative surveys, so it can show that most people are supportive of something even if your circle of friends are all against it.The number of people cycling has grown in Dublin Census data shows it, traffic count data shows it, and it is very clearly happening when half-decent cycle tracks are built, such as on the Clontarf to City Centre Bus and Cycle route (pictured above).However, Dublin City Council is in a unique position to unlock cycling in its area and, in more than a few cases, to help neighbouring areas too. It has the highest cycling modal share in the State and controls most of the urban areas with the greatest cycling growth potential.There are layers and layers of complications here; Rome was not built in a day, and BusConnects routes will do some of the heavy lifting in terms of cycle routes into the city centre. etc, but the progress on cycle route building by the council continues to be painfully slow, and while some progress has been made, Dublin City Council continues to avoid making hard decisions and to connect disjoined bits of its cycle network.Two prime examples are the slowness in connecting the Clontarf route to the quays and the unwillingness to complete the Liffey Cycle Route to a reasonably high level of connectivity, safety, and comfort. This leaves two key routes, including the backbone along the quays, unfinished and unattractive to most people considering cycling even some of the time.The Liffey is only one of many examples of relatively short projects that are delayed or not yet considered, but that could have a high impact on making cycling more attractive for people who do not currently cycle or who limit the amount they cycle because of poor links in the network.Most people are not going to cycle when theres disjointed bits of cycle lanes here and there, as is the case now Are Dublin City Councils officials or councillors expecting otherwise? Why are they acting as if they do? If not, why is there not a greater focus on connecting the network before building routes elsewhere?After years of investment and debate, the city centre should at least have solid attempts at continuous north-south and east-west routes by now. Instead, Dublins only north-south cycle route that crosses the Liffey in both directions hardly extends beyond walking distance of the river on both sides, and it has no east-west route through the city centre.The only continuous route to/from even the inner suburbs to the core city centre is a combination of the cycle path along the quays from the Docklands to OConnell Bridge, where it abruptly starts/ends and is hard to access from the southside. Of course, that route in the Docklands links to the Royal Canal Greenway and the Grand Canal Way, but to get to the city centre, you need to use those routes as far as around the Convention Centre which is quite a detour for most.Even if it was deemed that the quays are untouchable for now, for whatever reason for now, theres so many options here.For example, the yellow links on this map (and some fixes on the green sections) would amount to around 2.5km of quick-build routes, which would at least start to join up areas of the city. All of the space required here is, for the most part, already planned to be given to cycling as part of BusConnects or other projects.Even in the case of North King Street, taking a traffic lane away will not take much away in terms of car capacity compared to what will be available once the BusConnects routes start to be built in the area. Most of the time, the two lanes are not even very effective at moving cars, and often one lane is taken up by ad hoc parking. Another obvious option away from BusConnects routes and other planned projects is the Werburgh St / Bride St / Heytesbury corridor. The council has already started work on the route, and given the low number of buses on it, it should now be a priority to upgrade and extend it as an active travel route.To be clear: Im not just adding the phrase active travel to be inclusive; as with most cycle path projects, pedestrian improvements are needed here too. Dublin is really missing a focus on network building, and that includes using more tools than just cycle paths. Such as using minor streets as quiet routes. Not for the sake of it, but because once traffic calming, filtering (where needed), and junction fixes are put in place, these types of routes can form important links. Including, for example, an east-west link off Bride Street to the route mentioned above in Marrowbone Lane (shown mainly in orange in the centre of the image below).Or the low-traffic routes in Portobello (shown in orange towards the bottom of the image) would link to the Rathmines Road and Harolds Cross. IrishCycle.com isnt mainly suggesting cycling here for climate reasons or for cleaner air or even for people to be healthier all of these are good reasons to give space to cycling. But the main reason here is accessibility and fairness keeping the city moving and keeping the promises to people.The Dublin City Centre Transport Plan cut off through routes for cars and promised not only to give priority to buses but also to support cycling as another alternative. Support for cycling has been very slow. The planned route on Gardner Street this year is to be welcomed, but it is far from enough. Then there is the construction of MetroLink and the BusConnects Core Route Corridors this will be a shock to the system in Dublin. Making other options safe and attractive as soon as possible is key to keeping the city moving while the works are ongoing throughout the coming decade. Dubliners should be mad that they dont have more safe and attractive cycle routes. If you want more, sadly, you need to fight for the city to keep its promises.

Dublin City Councils South East Area committee was misleadingly told yesterday that councillors were led to believe that Capel St and Parliament St were to be pedestrian streets, implying cycling on them, but this flies in the face of documentation and other evidence, which made it clear that the streets were to be made car-free, with cycling allowed. Cllr Mannix Flynn (independent), who made the bizarre claim, has repeatedly criticised the projects to make the streets car-free, and, over a number of years, has repeatedly complained about people cycling and most traffic schemes which have impacts on motorists.The Dublin City Centre Transport Plan is just one of many documents which show that cycling was to be allowed on both streets. It said: Following the successful transformation of Capel Street into a traffic-free environment, it is the intention to replicate this scheme on Parliament Street, introducing a car-free corridor for pedestrians and cyclists on the western edge of the city centre retail core.While the media and other councillors repeatedly referred to the street changes as pedestrianisation, Dublin City Council officials used the phrase traffic-free while also regularly mentioning, verbally and in documents provided to councillors, that cycling would be allowed. Cllr Flynn has also attended a number of meetings where the two streets have been discussed, including the fact that cycling would be allowed or was allowed on the streets. At the meeting yesterday, Cllr Flynn said that he does not know what the design manual outlines about markings on streets, but assumes because of what he calls the health and safety issues that there would be some measures or markings to tell cyclists where to go on the streets.He claims that if people cycling are coming from Parliament Street and Capel Street, they are going fast because it is a straight run. But as reported previously, on many side visits over different months and times of day, IrishCycle.com mainly observed what bicycle-shaped-objects devices that look like bicycles but are legally classed as illegal mopeds going notably fast.As reported separately, Garda have also targeted illegal scooters and moped/motorcycle use on Capel Street.Cllr Flynn continued: Now, we were led to believe by the council and by active travel that these were pedestrianised spaces. And by and large, you know most pedestrians are beginning to realise that you dont walk on that carriage[way]. Now, are we decommissioning it as a carriage[way] and saying its no longer a motorway or what are we doing?A motorway is a road exclusively for the use of motorists. Capel Street and Parliament Street were never motorways.Or are we going to make it safe for pedestrians to actually. youve got a space where you can sit down, but people also want to walk, so youre safe enough when you sit down. But when you get up to walk, or when theres children playing, which there was recently on Capel Street, and the child is still very badly injured by a bike, he claimed.Cllr Flynn said: Now I would imagine that if the cyclist knew there was a way to be cycling that was marked out, there wouldnt be an issue there, and also the idea of actually to slow it down, theres no need to go fast on your electric bike.In another part of the local area meeting yesterday, he asked: When are you going to put the markings on the road here, which is basically Parliament Street? Its meant to be a pedestrian street primarily, but theres no markings on the pedestrian section. So, when youre walking down there, the cyclists are just coming around that corner full speed, and its very confusing.The same down in Capel Street, please. If youre going to actually, you know, put cyclists in pedestrian areas, please put markings down warning people that cyclists are there because you have no way of knowing, Cllr Flynn added.IMAGE: Except bicycles signs and bicycle traffic lights on Capel Street, although there are mostly no markings on the street or in the shared former carrageway which is also used for deliveries in the mornings. A Dublin City Council official, an engineer with the Traffic Advisory Group (TAG), which looks after traffic change requests such as line markings, said: I spoke to the active travel unit within the traffic department, who are responsible for the initial initiative there. And they did make some changes to [the street], but theyre monitoring it all the time, and theyll take on board what you said, particularly because somebody was injured there.He added: Ill bring that back to them as well at this time and see if theres some additional changes that can be made just to improve safety.Cllr Flynn said: In the first instance, pretend that its a pedestrian space, people go down there and walk with their kids. They let the kids go, they are grand and then all of a sudden theres an accident. I actually find that appallingly bad practise. I mean, I really do. Its akin to reckless driving that they would put pedestrians in a position like that.He said he wanted marking immediately put down on the streets in the interest of the public. Capel Street has been car-free since May 2022 two months short of four years.You know, I mean, its just not on How long is it there? Two, or three years? And theres nothing more accidents down there, Cllr Flynn claimed with no supporting evidence. The TAG engineer said: In fairness. I think it is described as a car-free zone rather than a pedestrian zone.Cllr Flynn said: Theres an issue around that also because they never clarified. Cllr Dermot Lacey, chair of the committee, suggested that Cllr Flynn refer the issue to the councils Mobility and Public Relime Committee, which Cllr Flynn sits on.

Provisional data shows that bicycle thefts reported to Gardain Dublin decreased by 15% in two years, according to a response to a written parliamentary question. The data shows an average of 2,990 bicycle thefts reported to Garda stations in the capital in the last three years, between 2023 and 2025. The number of charges, summons, cautions or youth referrals in those years that were associated with incidents of bicycle theft averaged 320 per year 11% of reported incidents. The parliamentary question was asked by Deputy Cian OCallaghan (Social Democrats). He asked the Tnaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality for the number of bicycles which were reported stolen in Dublin in each of the years 2023 to 2025, the number of prosecutions which were brought for bicycle theft in 2025, and the number of stolen bicycles that were recovered.The data provided for the number of bikes found, recovered or seized does not seem to answer the question about the number of stolen bicycles recovered. It is noted that This data set refers to bicycles and other vehicles and cannot be linked to incidents of bicycle theft.It is also important to note that, with any crime statistics reported this way, it shows the total number of reported crimes. As some people do not report thefts, it is not a clear indictaor on the number of bicycles stolen. Minister for Justice, Jim OCallaghan, said: The Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Sochna under Section 33 of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024. I would encourage anyone who has been a victim of crime, be it bicycle theft or otherwise, to report it by contacting their local Garda Station and An Garda Sochna will investigate the matter.I note that according to provisional crime figures released this week by An Garda Sochna, bicycle thefts are down by 4% nationally, he saidGarda provided the Department of Justice with the following tables, which set out the number of bicycles reported stolen in Dublin in each of the years 2023 to 2025 and the number of charges, summons, cautions, or youth referrals arising.Number of bicycles which were reported stolen in Dublin in each of the years 2023 to 2025:202320242025Bicycles which were reported stolen 3,2932,8882,790Percentage change from previous year (added by IrishCycle.com)N/A-12%-3.4%Number of charges, summons, cautions or youth referrals during the same period that were associated with any incident of bicycle theft:202320242025Charges, summons, cautions or youth referrals365282315Found, recovered or seized The parliamentary answer said: Garda authorities have also provided details of the number of vehicles found, recovered or seized in each of these years. This data set refers to bicycles and other vehicles and cannot be linked to incidents of bicycle theft.202320242025Bicycles found, recovered or seized1,5641,5141,186

Some councillors tonight tried to maintain that users of the planned Cabinteely Greenway would be better off pushed out onto the N11 at a massive 7-lane junction with slip turns, but Dn LaoghaireRathdown County Council officials confirmed that there was no planning reason to shorten the planned greenway.But councillors agreed with just three votes in the difference to shorten the route.Sections A and B betweenCornelscourt Village ot Glen Lawn Drive and from there to Cabinteely Park have now been removed from the project.After a heated debate, councillors eventually voted against restoring different sections of the greenway, with the vote split 17/18 in favour to 21 against. When the three different motions were defeated, the shortened project as proposed by officials was supported by 36 councillors, with just 2 voting against the overall project.Section C, including a route through Cabinteely Park and a connection to the N11 via Clonkeen Road, and Section D fromBrennanstown Road to the Cherrywood Green Routes Network, have been given planning permission by councillors. A number of councillors had tried to sway their fellow councillors to reintroduce the full route to ensure a safe route between Cornelscourt and Cherrywood, but this ultimately failed with most Fianna Fil and Fine Gael councillors voting against a more continuous route. Cllr Eva Dowling (Green Party) said: Now we are being asked to abandon vital infrastructure based on heavily skewed data. Of the objections received, 460 were templated postcards, 450 of those were delivered in bulk by a single residence association in a single delivery that one orchestrated campaign accounts for 69% of the no responses.The statutory public consultation, as we all know, is a mechanism to gather qualitative feedback to refine designs, she said. She added: Colleagues, lets not build a fragmented greenway and try to call it a success. I am asking you to vote with me tonight. Lets stand by the compromises already made. Lets prioritise the safety of the families and children we all see navigating these roads, and work together and reinstate sections A and B.Cllr John Hurley (Social Democrats) said that the project had originally included removing car parking on Glen Lawn Drive, but that even after compromises were made, which included retaining the parking, opposition was still strong.He said that those residents did not see this as a greenway for them, and because of this, his motion to restore this section included provision for ducting for future fibre-optic cable to the houses, which he said have poor internet connectivity. Cllr John Kennedy (Fine Gael) said that the provision of broadband should not be dependent on part of an active travel route going ahead. Cllr Lorraine Hall (Fine Gael) said: This is a really positive scheme. Unlike nearly every other active travel scheme, it doesnt affect parking, roads or bus lanes. And the councils own material says that the purpose is to increase road safety, not reduce it. Weve lots of cycling routes running through parks that dont raise safety concerns.Removing sections A and B is not a minor tweak; its a major change that cuts off the opening section of the route, and it weakens the overall scheme, she said. If we want connected routes, this is the wrong direction.Cllr Hall added: My comments arent a criticism of the postcard campaign. Consultation matters, engagement should be encouraged, but the results of these campaigns shouldnt be treated as a veto on the scheme; we have to consider the wider needs of the community.VIDEO: The section before the roundabout, at around 1:42 in the video, has been omitted from the plans as approved. Cllr Martha Fanning (Labour) said: This looks like a safe, accessible, inclusive scheme, and whats so disappointing is that the chief executives report is that it decides to halve it. I looked at the NTA data last week, and theres one bit that is still devastating twice as many men as women cycle. So we havent addressed that. This scheme would, if we could deliver it all, help to address the gender imbalance.Cllr Tom Kivlehan (Green Party) said that people will come to the new western end of the route and reach Glenville Drive, which he said is a rat run where motorists often do 60-70km/h, leaving the route unsafe. Cllr Hurley said that some councillors have argued that the N11 is a parallel route, but an urban greenway is a very different type of environment where, for example, you can take children to learn how to cycle, which he said cannot be done along the N11.He added: Really, any yardage or additional length of this scheme that can continue westwards is of benefit because its getting closer to where the route can bring you to another school quiet, safe infrastructure.Cllr Justin Moylan (Fianna Fil) said: Theres a lot of talk here this evening about a public consultation being compared to a plebiscite. A public consultation was carried out. You [councillors] are capable of reading the managers report. You are capable of reading the results of that.He said that Friends of the Earth put out a template email for the DL Living Streets project that generated thousands of responses, adding: Whats sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Cllr Barry Saul (Fine Gael) said: First of all, Im happy to support the independent, professional advice of our active travel team these two motions in reverse are effectively ignoring the independent advice of our active travel team.And also I think it has been said that this is a safer route because it does connect to the N11, making it safer for everyone, he claimed. So Im happy to go with the chief executives report,He added: I also think, as many councillors have said before, it is absolutely utterly disgraceful for all the people involved in these motions to suggest that theres something underhanded in the way the public consultation has been carried out, or the way a postcard campaign has been carried out. I think its absolutely disgraceful. Cllr Hurley and Cllr Dowling both criticised this interruption of the criticism of the postcard campaign, or how it was interrupted by council officials. Cllr Dowling said she believed that the comments from Cllr Saul are contradictory to the councils code of conduct. Cllr Jim Gildea (FG), chairperson of the meeting, claimed that Cllr Dowling had made the point that the postcard campaign was underhanded; she denied this and said the claim was disgraceful. Cllr Lauren Tuite (Green) said her aunt passed away on Friday at the incredible age of 101. While she never admitted it herself, she was a true green: She never wasted anything, she made amended clothes and curtains, she got to be out in the garden, and she never learnt to drive. Because long before we had safe routes to school, we had safe routes to church and her community, like many around this country, were designed as laneways and shortcuts for people to walk to mass. I believe that the ability to walk in her neighbourhood was the secret to her longevity, said Cllr Tuite.Cllr Tuite continued: She retained her mobility, her independence, her sharp wit for the best part of a century. In the final months of her life, she was still able to watch the world go by We often talk about the importance of infrastructure like this in terms of the benefits for children, but that is to overlook the opportunity here for older residents. The average person will live for a decade after they have last hang up their car keys that should not be the end of us, living full and productive lives.Cllr Peter OBrien (Labour) accused the government parties in the chamber of going against their own national policies on sustainable mobility. He added: Ive still yet to hear a good planning reason why these [sections of the route] have been removed. I havent heard it, and its been a nice number of times. I dont know why this is being removed.He added: Theres a question of funding. Weve been told previously, Im not sure the NTA would fund this.Cllr Oisn OConnor (Green) said that people walking and cycling from Cherrywood or along the route would benefit businesses at the now former western end of the route at Cornelscourt Hill Road. Cllr Carrie Smyth (Labour) said councillors are abandoning people using the route if they remove the sections which have now been removed from the project. People are saying that they can cycle along the N11 I do know if you have been on a bicycle and cycled through a park or a greenway compared to cycling on the N11, it is a huge difference, especially if its young children or women, she said.She added: Its unbelievable the differences cycling in a green area rather than on the N11. On the N11, youve got double-decker buses going by you, and actually, the air can be so strong they can actually blow you to one side. Thats how different it is.Chairman Cllr Gildea asked Cllr Smyth to leave the room after she tried to wrap up her contribution, after he told her to stop.For his own part, Cllr Jim Gildea said: Ive heard a couple of a couple of times here that the revised route no longer connects two places, that is absolutely is not true. With the change at Glen Lawn Drive, now connects the route throught the park to the N11.He claimed that sections A and B of the route brought people to Cornelscourt Village, where cyclists had to compete with motorists. He said that this was abandoning people. He said the route also fails to link to a local school, which one of the proposers later said could be addressed. Cllr Kivlehan interrupted Cllr Gildea and said Time is up, a reference to how the chairperson enforced a time restriction on others, which he was now bending for himself.Cllr Gildea said: Excuse me, Ill ask you to leave the room as well if you dont behave. An official confirmed that there is no planning rationale for shortening the greenway, as recommended in the chief executives Part 8 planning report.

A local group in Dublin has called for facts over fearto win out as Dn LaoghaireRathdown County Council councillors are due to vote on the Part 8 planning permission for the Cabinteely Greenway tomorrow (Monday).The 2.3km greenway is proposed to link Cherrywood, Cabinteely Park, and Cornelscourt. It includes traffic calming and improved pedestrian links, as well as for cycling. Cabinteely Life, a local Facebook group and website, said it was outlining why the greenway is needed and why the arguments against it dont hold up.The Cabinteely Greenway has attracted its share of opposition. Some locals worry about traffic, others invoke decades of park tradition, and a few cite cycling statistics that sound alarming until you look at them closely. Lets work through the actual evidence because when you do, the case for this greenway becomes overwhelming, the group said.The Cabinteely Greenway would provide a dedicated, attractive, off-road route for walking, wheeling, and cycling in an area that currently forces anyone who wants to travel by bike into a choice between narrow residential streets or the heavily trafficked N11, said Cabinteely Life.A Facebook post urges residents to contact councillors, stating that A short, polite email from a constituent carries real weight.It advocates that you should tell politicians why you support the greenway and that You dont need to write anything long or complicated. Just tell them who you are, where you live, and that you want them to vote yes for the Cabinteely Greenway on Monday.Among the objections being sent to councillors is a pro-forma email with a number of claims against the active travel project, which IrishCycle.com has seen. The email seen by this website was sent by the Cabinteely & District Residents Association.Another claim in the email is that National data confirms actual cyclist numbers have dropped by 3% but there is no source for this claim, and IrishCycle.com could not find any data related to it.Its unclear why national data would be applied to Dublin in the first place. Using national figures that include very rural areas and cities with less developed cycling infrastructure is a common tactic to dismiss cycling in the capital.Both in the DLRCC area and the wider Dublin area, traffic counters and Census data have pointed to an increase in cycling in areas where better routes have been built. Cabinteely Life said: It is a direct consequence of where proper cycling infrastructure has been built. When people feel safe, they cycle. When they dont, they dont. The 3% figure isnt an argument against the greenway its an argument for it. It tells us that in areas without safe, dedicated infrastructure, cycling remains inaccessible to most people. The solution is more greenways, not fewer.The group said that if the greenway does not go ahead, more people will be forced into cycling along the dangerous N11 route. The group said: Every day that the greenway doesnt exist, vulnerable road users people walking, cycling, and wheeling are pushed onto one of the most dangerous roads in the area. The greenway doesnt create risk. It removes it.Dublin has already spent 600M on Active Travel projects in recent years.A new crossing, a single traffic laneWhere the greenway route crosses the Brennanstown Road, the council plans to make the road one-way with an uncontrolled shuttle system for motorists and a shared zebra crossing for people walking. Objectors say the motoring priority should be kept on the local road, which is used as a rat-run, and claim the project will cause Traffic Chaos on Brennanstown Road.Cabinteely Life said: High traffic volumes on Brennanstown Road arent an argument against the greenway. Under national design guidance, theyre precisely the reason its needed.The objection letter claims: An Unsecured Park, Open 24/7 With No Separation of Users The Greenway would give e-bikes, e-scooters, and cargo bikes access to a park that has had no cycling for 45 years. With no segregation from pedestrians and no ability to secure the route, this creates serious risk of accidents and anti-social behaviour for all park users.Cabinteely Life said: This claim is repeated with great confidence, but it doesnt survive scrutiny. No public park in Ireland has maintained a strict no-cycling policy for 45 years. What has happened is that parks have lacked proper, safe, dedicated cycling infrastructure which is an entirely different thing.The group said: The absence of cycling infrastructure is not a policy triumph. It is a failure. It means that families with children, older adults on e-bikes, and anyone who isnt a confident, experienced cyclist has been effectively excluded from using these spaces by bicycle. Building a greenway through or alongside the park doesnt upend a proud tradition it creates one, finally giving children and families the safe, well-designed space they need to cycle confidently.MORE: Active Travel: Cabinteely Greenway Scheme

Strade Bianche 2026 Results & : Photos by LaPresse [See image gallery at www.irishcyclingnews.com] Irish Cycling NewsStrade Bianche 2026 ResultsMen Elite203 km07 March 2026Women Elite133 km07 March 2026 Men Elite Top 50 1POGAAR Tadej SLO UAE TEAM EMIRATES1Pogaar Tadej 2SEIXAS Paul FRA DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM41Seixas Paul 3DEL TORO Isaac MEX UAE TEAM EMIRATES3Del Toro Isaac 4GREGOIRE Romain FRA GROUPAMAFDJ UNITED66Gregoire Romain 5VERMEERSCH Gianni BEL RED BULLBORAHANSGROHE141Vermeersch Gianni Women Elite Top 50 1CHABBEY Elise SUI FDJ UNITEDSUEZ3Chabbey Elise 2NIEWIADOMA Kasia POL CANYONSRAM ZONDACRYPTO31Niewiadoma Kasia 3KOCH Franziska GER FDJ UNITEDSUEZ5Koch Franziska 4LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA UAE TEAM ADQ171Longo Borghini Elisa 5VALLIERES MILL Magdeleine CAN EF EDUCATIONOATLY41Vallieres Mill Magdeleine Results compiled from official Strade Bianche 2026 communiqus. Back to top 1POGAAR Tadej SLO UAE TEAM EMIRATES1Pogaar Tadej2SEIXAS Paul FRA DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM41Seixas Paul3DEL TORO Isaac MEX UAE TEAM EMIRATES3Del Toro Isaac4GREGOIRE Romain FRA GROUPAMAFDJ UNITED66Gregoire Romain5VERMEERSCH Gianni BEL RED BULLBORAHANSGROHE141Vermeersch Gianni6CHRISTEN Jan SUI UAE TEAM EMIRATES2Christen Jan7PIDCOCK Thomas GBR PINARELLOQ36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM131Pidcock Thomas8JORGENSON Matteo USA TEAM VISMALEASE A BIKE204Jorgenson Matteo9KRON Andreas DEN UNO-X MOBILITY235Kron Andreas10VAN AERT Wout BEL TEAM VISMALEASE A BIKE201Van Aert Wout11LABROSSE Jordan FRA DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM45Labrosse Jordan12HEALY Ben IRL EF EDUCATIONEASYPOST51Healy Ben13VALGREN Michael DEN EF EDUCATIONEASYPOST57Valgren Michael14LAPEIRA Paul FRA DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM46Lapeira Paul15VANSEVENANT Mauri BEL SOUDAL QUICK-STEP167Vansevenant Mauri16VENDRAME Andrea ITA TEAM JAYCO ALULA177Vendrame Andrea17BRAZ AFONSO Clment FRA GROUPAMAFDJ UNITED62Braz Afonso Clment18BILBAO Pello ESP BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS22Bilbao Pello19ZANA Filippo ITA SOUDAL QUICK-STEP161Zana Filippo20ALAPHILIPPE Julian FRA TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM211Alaphilippe Julian21PESCADOR Diego COL MOVISTAR TEAM116Pescador Diego22VENTURINI Clement FRA UNIBET ROSE ROCKETS227Venturini Clement23JOHANNESSEN Tobias Halland NOR UNO-X MOBILITY231Johannessen Tobias Halland24MOHORIC Matej SLO BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS21Mohoric Matej 26PLANCKAERT Edward BEL ALPECINPREMIER TECH16Planckaert Edward27EULALIO Afonso POR BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS25Eulalio Afonso28GAROFOLI Gianmarco ITA SOUDAL QUICK-STEP162Garofoli Gianmarco29GAUTHERAT Pierre FRA DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM42Gautherat Pierre30GUALDI Simone ITA LOTTO INTERMARCH92Gualdi Simone31LAURANCE Axel FRA INEOS GRENADIERS74Laurance Axel32SOBRERO Matteo ITA LIDLTREK87Sobrero Matteo33MIQUEL Pau ESP BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS24Miquel Pau34SILVA Guillermo Thomas URU XDS ASTANA TEAM245Silva Guillermo Thomas35LAVIK Fredrik Dversnes NOR UNO-X MOBILITY236Lavik Fredrik Dversnes36LECERF Junior BEL SOUDAL QUICK-STEP163Lecerf Junior37KOERDT Bjoern GBR TEAM PICNIC POSTNL186Koerdt Bjoern38DONOVAN Mark GBR PINARELLOQ36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM133Donovan Mark39CARAPAZ Richard ECU EF EDUCATIONEASYPOST53Carapaz Richard40LHOTE Antoine FRA DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM44LHote Antoine41MARTI Pau ESP NSN CYCLING TEAM123Marti Pau42MADOUAS Valentin FRA GROUPAMAFDJ UNITED61Madouas Valentin43SCHRETTL Marco AUT XDS ASTANA TEAM244Schrettl Marco44POELS Wouter NED UNIBET ROSE ROCKETS221Poels Wouter45VELASCO Simone ITA XDS ASTANA TEAM247Velasco Simone46VAN MOER Brent BEL PINARELLOQ36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM134Van Moer Brent47LOOCKX Lander BEL UNIBET ROSE ROCKETS226Loockx Lander48TURCONI Filippo ITA BARDIANI CSF 7 SABER37Turconi Filippo49GENIETS Kvin LUX GROUPAMAFDJ UNITED64Geniets Kvin5050BUSATTO Francesco ITA ALPECINPREMIER TECH12Busatto Francesco1CHABBEY Elise SUI FDJ UNITEDSUEZ3Chabbey Elise2NIEWIADOMA Kasia POL CANYONSRAM ZONDACRYPTO31Niewiadoma Kasia3KOCH Franziska GER FDJ UNITEDSUEZ5Koch Franziska4LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA UAE TEAM ADQ171Longo Borghini Elisa5VALLIERES MILL Magdeleine CAN EF EDUCATIONOATLY41Vallieres Mill Magdeleine6PIETERSE Puck NED FENIXPREMIER TECH51Pieterse Puck7VOS Marianne NED TEAM VISMALEASE A BIKE156Vos Marianne8TRINCA COLONEL Monica ITA LIVALULAJAYCO81Trinca Colonel Monica9VAN ANROOIJ Shirin NED LIDLTREK71Van Anrooij Shirin10FISHER-BLACK Niamh NZL LIDLTREK73Fisher-Black Niamh11REGG Noemi SUI EF EDUCATIONOATLY46Regg Noemi12WLODARCZYK Dominika POL UAE TEAM ADQ176Wlodarczyk Dominika13LIPPERT Liane GER MOVISTAR TEAM101Lippert Liane14OTTESTAD Mie Bjrndal NOR UNO-X MOBILITY185Ottestad Mie Bjrndal15HAUGSET Sigrid Ytterhus NOR UNO-X MOBILITY183Haugset Sigrid Ytterhus16PERKINS Flora GBR FENIXPREMIER TECH54Perkins Flora17KERBAOL Cedrine FRA EF EDUCATIONOATLY44Kerbaol Cedrine18VAN DER BREGGEN Anna NED TEAM SD WORXPROTIME145Van der Breggen Anna19BLASI Paula ESP UAE TEAM ADQ172Blasi Paula20VOLLERING Demi NED TEAM SD WORXPROTIME1Vollering Demi21GHEKIERE Justine BEL AG INSURANCESOUDAL TEAM15Ghekiere Justine22LE COURT Kimberley MRI AG INSURANCESOUDAL TEAM11Le Court Kimberley23MARKUS Riejanne NED LIDLTREK74Markus Riejanne24CIABOCCO Eleonora ITA TEAM PICNIC POSTNL131Ciabocco Eleonora