We have been campaigning for safer cycle infrastructure in Clonakilty for the last 10 years. If you live here, you’ll know its pretty hard to convince politicians to help us get from a to b in a safe way. I mean, its a no-brainer really when you think about most of the problems we face as a community – climate change, economic disparity, obesity and health problems, mental health problems, social isolation…

All of these can be solved with the bicycle.

We don’t even have any safe cycle routes for kids to get to any of our schools. Thats robbing kids of a very simple joy and independence that they deserve.

What we need to do is shout louder.

Our local TDs are:

Christopher O’Sullivan TD (Fianna Fail) [email protected]

Holly Cairns TD (Social Democrats) [email protected]

Michael Collins TD (Independent) [email protected]

Give them a shout. Here is a letter you can copy and paste;

Dear……

I write to ask your assistance in getting notice signage of the routes regularly used by cyclists in and around Clonakilty.

In 2018 our community proposed road signage on several cycle routes which are frequented by cyclists and recommended by us. Cork County Council has provided funding for the signs but the Area Engineer, a non-cyclist, is unwilling to erect the signage until a safety audit is carried out on the roads in question.  This has delayed the project indefinitely and the situation becomes more critical as we approach another spring and summer cycling season. 

As someone who cycles these routes frequently, I dispute the Area Engineer’s view that a safety audit is a prerequisite to posting notice signs.  While the selected routes have no dedicated cycle facilities, none such exist in our area.  It is my experience that the roads in question are safer than alternative routes which are used by higher levels of traffic travelling at higher speeds. 

I wish to emphasize that cyclists are already using the recommended routes. We are asking for signage to alert cars to this vulnerable traffic which includes families with children and the elderly in our Cycling Without Age trishaw, The Silver Bullet.

Failing to encourage visiting cyclists to use safer alternative routes is contrary to the proposed EU directive on Road Infrastructure Safety Management and leaves the council open to court action in event of a cyclist fatality or injury.

Furthermore, last November at a meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport Tourism and Sport, Mr. Ray O’Leary, Assistant Secretary in the Road and Accident Investigation Unit stated: 

“I have responsibility for roads and road safety, sometimes I can get annoyed when people talk about roads versus pedestrians versus cyclists versus public transport because roads expenditure serves all users.” 

If road expenditure serves all users, then it follows that roads should serve all users too. Please direct that the Clonakilty Area Engineer erect the notice signage as a matter of urgent priority.

Respectfully yours,