South William Street Area Study
Cycling Infrastructure
Bike Stands on South William St.
The study area, with its slow moving traffic and lack of major junctions with associated traffic lights, offers a good environment for cycling. Cycling is an important component of movement through the area, indicated by the well-patronised bike stands on South William St., Exchequer St. and Johnson Place and also by the success of the Dublin Bikes Scheme. However, there are some issues that have the effect of reducing the potential that cycling has as a transport option for shoppers frequenting the area. Firstly, the one-way street system presently in place reduces the accessibility of the area to cyclists. Secondly, cyclists are in
Number of Bike Stands in Study Area
direct competition with the car for the limited road space available in the area. Lastly, the placement of bike stands on congested pavements, particu-
57 Stands
larly where there is outdoor seating is problematic
accommodating
for pedestrians (see upper right). Some measures
114 Bicycles
to resolve these problems could include: • Making some streets contra-flow for cyclists. • Removing all on-street car parking in the area. • Widening the footpaths or instituting a pedestrian dominated scheme for the area. Dublin Bikes Scheme
Since its launch in 2009 over 3.5 million trips have been made on Dublin Bikes (June 2012). This astonishing figure demonstrates that cycling is becoming an increasingly accepted part of transport throughout the city. There are two stations in the area of study, located at Exchequer St. and Chatham St. with 24 and 29 bike spaces in each respectively.
Bicycle Clutter
The problem of bicycle clutter is prevalent in some areas, particularly on the narrow and intensively used pavements of South William St. The City Council has responded to this increased demand for bicycle parking by placing extra stands on existing polls (see below). Whilst this is one solution to the problem, the location of some of these supplementary stands has also increased clutter at pinch-points, hindering pedestrian movement. It is seen that a strategic plan for bicycle parking needs on a district wide level would provide the best solution for bike parking needs. This would avoid the present situation were stands are scattered through the area in a random and ad hoc manner. Supplementary Bike Stand - S. William St.
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