Galway's "Cycle Paths"

Why we want them either modified or removed from the roads in our city.

The Real Function of Galway's "Cycle Paths" ?

Galway's "cycle paths" are apparently ideal when it comes to finding somewhere to put any inconvenient road signs.  (This includes signs of the permanent variety as well as well as bus stops.)

The "cycle paths" don't just save motorist convenience as a place to store signs.

They are also used for routing pipes and services. This ensures that the actual disruption due to road works is also predominantly targeted at people on bicycles rather than at motorists.

Cycle path at Terryland roundabout

This shows how the cycle path is merely continued straight into or out of the roundabout without any deviation from the "footpath" layout.   Cycling on footpaths or footpath type structures is known to be associated with significantly increased risk of car/cycle collision at junctions.   Junction collisions already account for the majority (70%) of collisions.   When this corridor was designed and built the advice of the standard Irish text was "the provision of separate bicycle lanes alongside the main traffic flow is self defeating if no additional provision is made at intersections -because the very real risk of collisions in the merging phase adds to the overloading effect".  This report cites English data that showed that cycle tracks increase accidents at junctions by 135%. [1]

Ballybane

This is a typical example of the layout of one of Galway Corporation's cycle paths, this is within a roundabout exit.  Note the way that the cycle path kerb is only dropped opposite the "pedestrian crossing" (blue arrow).  Those cyclists who wish to use the cycle path must first stop or slow in the middle of the accelerating traffic stream in the roundabout exit and then execute a left turn to mount the raised kerb.  If there are pedestrians waiting to cross the cyclist must simply stop and wait within the traffic stream until the ramp clears.  On roundabout junctions of the design seen here, cyclists were already known to have an injury accident rate that is 14-16 times that of motorists, yet in Galway these have been used in conjunction with cycle path designs that themselves double the risk of junction collisions.

Tuam Road.

This illustrates the situation faced by cycle path cyclists when there are pedestrians waiting.  Cyclists who wish, or who feel forced through motorist aggression, to use the cycle paths are faced with a split second decision in what is already a high stress situation (multi-lane roundabout).

Next "Rules of the Road" a la Galway corporation