Sir, – Niamh Byrne (Letters, January 7th) can rest assured that the proposed new cycle lanes in Ranelagh will have no impact on the reliability of bus transport because, quite simply, there aren’t any bus lanes in Ranelagh village. The two short stretches of bus lane north of the village that will be affected by the proposals accommodate just two buses per hour and already give priority to private cars at junctions. By contrast, this route sees upwards of 600 people cycling in the morning peak period. The addition of safe cycling infrastructure will enable many more to use this route, including the thousands of children attending the several primary and secondary schools on and adjacent to the route.
Ms Byrne notes that “not everyone can cycle”. I’m sure she would also agree that not everyone can drive. Some 24 per cent of the population is under 18 years of age, 60 per cent of women aged 18 to 24 do not hold a driving licence, and 56 per cent of women over 75 do not hold a licence. Likewise, in many parts of Dublin 6, two-thirds of households do not have access to a car. Believe it or not these people also do “normal life chores” without the benefit of a car.
The prioritisation of public transport and active travel over car use makes sense not just at an environmental level, but also at an equality and economic level.
Finally, the assertion that we cannot restrict cars until we have a reliable public transport system ignores the fact that the biggest barrier to a reliable public transport system is the congestion caused by the increasing number (and increasing size!) of private motor vehicles on our roads. This congestion is forecast to cost Dublin over €2 billion annually by 2033. The reality is that we can’t have a reliable public transport system until we start to restrict cars. The good news is that providing alternative transport options frees up road space for those who feel they must use a car. – Yours, etc,
CIARÁN FERRIE,
Dublin 6.