CASE STUDY
Dublin – Cycling Transport Safety
In Dublin as in many large cities heavy traffic and a shortage of parking spaces are everyday challenges. In such conditions cycling often becomes the fastest and most efficient means of transport. A bicycle allows people to reach most destinations in the city centre quickly and can be parked without difficulty.
However, cyclist safety remains a key issue, as does the need to accurately identify locations where infrastructure improvements and investments are necessary.
These issues were analysed through a public consultation carried out using the LopiAsk tool.
Background
Dublin is a rapidly growing city with an increasing population and high traffic volumes.
- Nearly 64% of all trips are made by private cars.
- The public transport system is struggling with congestion, parking spaces are scarce, and drivers face daily traffic jams.
- In this context, the bicycle often becomes the fastest and most practical mode of transport in urban areas; also in Dublin, which is a relatively compact city.
- While cycling in Dublin is generally considered safe, there are specific locations that require urgent intervention and infrastructure improvements. As a result, there has been an intensive public and media debate on cycling safety risks
Objectives
- Accurately identifying locations in Dublin where cyclists feel most at risk
- Implementing simple solutions to improve cyclist safety
- Collecting cyclists’ opinions and proposals to support the future development of the GDA Cycle Network project
Challenges
- Unimplemented GDA Cycle Network Plan
A strategic plan from 2013 aimed to expand cycling routes from 500 km to 2,900 km and achieve a 10% modal share for cycling by 2020. Unfortunately, the plan was never implemented and existing cycling infrastructure remains insufficiently safe. - Insufficient data
There was a lack of up-to-date, detailed information on locations posing safety risks for cyclists. - Limited precision in traditional consultations. Previous consultation methods did not provide participants with tools to accurately pinpoint hazardous locations.
- Quick access to cyclist respondents
Research process
Tool: LopiAsk
The key questions in the geo-survey focused on the location of unsafe areas, risk factors (such as the presence of other modes of transport) and proposed solutions and infrastructure improvements.
The geo-survey was easy to share thanks to cooperation with cycling groups, local authorities and social media, using QR codes and links.
Cyclists were able to precisely indicate locations requiring upgrades through the integration of the survey with an online map.
Results
- Approximately 300 participants took part in the pilot LopiAsk geo-survey.
- This made it possible to identify risks and key locations that are dangerous for cyclists with a high level of spatial accuracy.
- Safety heat maps were created, which are detailed visualisations of points and route segments identified by cyclists as unsafe.
- Cyclists’ opinions on potential improvements to safety and cycling infrastructure were also collected to inform the future GDA Cycling Network project.
Main findings
- Close cooperation with the local cycling community made it possible to engage a larger number of respondents.
- Thanks to the LopiAsk and online consultations young people were also actively involved in the study.
- The fast and accurate analysis allowed the most critical and high-risk locations in cycling traffic to be precisely identified right away.
Want to learn more or implement a similar solution in your city? Contact us!
