Proper cycle lanes can transform quality of life in Mayo county town
Safe, inclusive cycling infrastructure could be a game-changer for quality of life in Mayo’s county town, writes Dr Erik MacGiolla of ATU Castlebar.
Moving back to Mayo after a decade living abroad has been wonderful for our family.
There are so many quality of life benefits to living in Castlebar, a great town with a beautiful surrounding region.
However, there’s one glaring exception: I don’t feel safe cycling around the town with my four-year-old daughter.
Now is the right time for Mayo County Council to follow through on its plans and make Castlebar a hub of safe and inclusive active travel.
Active Travel – that is, travelling with a purpose using your own energy – is key for the wellbeing and quality of life of Mayo citizens and communities, according to the County Council.
Active Travel Plans are currently being developed for our towns, but we need to make sure we get it right.
If the council is serious about these plans, it should prioritize cycle lanes that are safe for all citizens to use. In practice, this has to mean fully segregated cycle lanes – otherwise the risks remain too great.
These lanes should protect cyclists from traffic with a physical border, such as a kerb or verge, they should not suddenly end, and they should contain safe crossings at busy roundabouts and intersections.
Only then will we see more people availing of this vital piece of infrastructure.
In many of the cycle lanes in Castlebar, such as those on the Humbert Way, cyclists are only separated from other traffic by a white line of paint.
These “non-segregated” cycle lanes are not fit for purpose.
Last year, I conducted a small study on their use.
I observed 113 cyclists on sections of road containing non-segregated cycle lanes.
Almost 60% did not use the cycle lane and instead cycled on the footpath – a hazard for pedestrians. Of those who used the cycle lane, only 13% were women and only 2% were youths.
Not only do most people not use these lanes, but they would appear to systematically discriminate against female and young cyclists.
Worse still is that most of these cycles lanes simply end when they approach a roundabout.
Non-segregated cycle lanes in Castlebar are de facto hard shoulders—only suitable for confident cyclists ready and willing to cycle in heavy traffic.
The narrative around cycle lanes paints cyclists in opposition to cars and drivers; An “us versus them” situation.
This does not have to be the case. Segregated cycle lanes benefit all.
They take up no more space on the road than existing non-segregated cycle lanes (see figure below), but they ensure that drivers no longer have to worry about avoiding cyclists in traffic, while cyclists no longer feel the need to cycle on footpaths.
Furthermore, for each person that cycles to work and each child that cycles to school, traffic congestion will be eased.
Castlebar already has a several miles of cycle lanes.
The simple addition of a raised kerb would make our county town one of the most cycle-friendly places in Ireland.