4 July 2018
By Mary Bermingham
mary@TheCork.ie
The Green Party in Cork has called on Cork City Council to invest in Dutch-style cycle ramps on public steps on the northside of the city. Why the Northside? because that’s the hilliest part of Cork!
A wheeling ramp in the Czech Republic (Credit: ŠJů) via Wiki Commons
The ramps, called wheeling ramps, are commonplace in the Netherlands and allow cyclists to easily wheel bicycles up and down public steps. They can be retrofitted to existing steps as small metal grooves fixed on top of the steps, often running alongside the handrail.
The party says the investment would be very small relative to the overall roads’ budget but would further open northside suburbs to commuter cyclists.
Speaking about the idea, the Green Party representative in Cork North Central, Oliver Moran, said:
“The northside has a real asset in the number and quality of Victorian pedestrian stairways at really convenient locations. We have them right opposite the railway station leading up to St. Luke’s, joining North Mall and Blarney Street, running from MacCurtain Street to Wellington Road, connecting Watercourse Road to Bell’s Field, and more.”
“They are a great benefit to cyclists who use them to avoid the steepest parts of their commute and to cut journey times. Reimaging these pedestrian steps today as part of cycle routes the northside would life bring back into a unique feature of our city that has been allowed to go uncared for.”
“Promoting their use would benefit non-cycling residents too. The increased throughflow of pedestrians and cyclists can keep an eye on steps that unfortunately can become the site of anti-social behaviour when left underused.”
Mr Moran said the plan would also benefit motorists by taking cyclists out of road traffic at points where cyclists are slowest going uphill.
