The Irish Motorcyclists' Action Group
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MAG
Ireland The Irish Motorcyclists' Action Group |
13/3: Why was the statement
issued?
13/3: What did the DTO Say?
13/3: What is the DTO?
13/3: Why should Motorcyclists be Concerned?
13/3: What will MAG do?
13/3: What can you do?
13/3: MAG
DUBLIN LAUNCHES LETTER TO DTO
23/3: Another
DTO Statement !!!
30/3: MAG
Ireland writes to DTO regarding non-acknowledgement of MAG Dublin letter
30/3: MAG
Ireland writes to Noel Dempsey and Bobby Molloy to complain
24/4: MAG gets
meeting with department officials
Why
was the statement issued?
The statement was sent out
by a Senior Transportation Planner in the Traffic Management Department in response to
a Dublin motorcyclist's query as to who at the DTO is looking into the issue of
allowing motorcycles assess to buslanes and when to expect a position on
this. The query is based on a Dail statement from Bobby Molloy on 15
February stating, "Arrangements for considering the feasibility of pilot
tests in this country, to which I referred in the October 2000 debate, are being
addressed in consultation with the Dublin Transportation Office and other
relevant bodies".
What
did the DTO Say?
Motorcycles & Dublin's Bus Lanes
Background
The motorcycle is a small, fast, highly manoeuvrable vehicle, which sets it apart from all other urban vehicles. These characteristics are also the main source of concern about motorbikes, a concern reflected in insurance industry premia, and indeed, reflected in accident data*.
These unique characteristics of the motorbike lend the vehicle to encouraging its driver into erratic behaviour and manoeuvres not appropriate to congested roads and streets, such as filtering between (moving) lanes of traffic, driving along the hard shoulder, driving on the outer side of a lane of traffic, near or over the centreline, making sudden changes in speed or direction
etc.
It appears that the purported "travel efficiency" of the motorbike in Dublin is in fact based on the assumption that motorbikes will not occupy a regular vehicle position within the traffic lane, but will in fact engage in the inappropriate manoeuvres outlined above. Otherwise, its journey time would be similar to any motorised vehicle.
* "of the 144 persons killed in accidents involving young drivers in 1997, 24% were motorcycle users" - NRA press release June 2000
Motorbikes and bus lanes
Against this background, the DTO is not convinced of the merit of encouraging this mode of transport over other vehicles, by facilities such as permission to drive in bus lanes.
There are other issues. The relative inconspicuous size of the motorbike, relative to its speed, would make it difficult for road users in adjacent lanes to take account of its approach, especially at merge points across bus lanes.
There is pressure from many quarters for relaxing the types of vehicle allowed into bus lanes. The Quality Bus Corridor Network is designed for buses and bus passengers, and its effectiveness or safety could be compromised through the relaxation of the exclusivity along these lanes. At present, the DTO is concerned about delivery of the network and optimising bus patronage along those routes. Encouraging or permitting other vehicles into this network is not proposed at present.
The DTO has clearly signalled already that it does not support access from motorbikes into cycle facilities.
Motorbikes as a solution to congestion
No single mode in isolation offers a solution to congestion. The Dublin Transportation Initiative (DTI) Strategy is based upon an integrated solution, involving all modes of travel. The Strategy is concerned about offering choice, between private transport (including the motorbike) and the sustainable modes (walking, cycling, public transport).
The DTO welcomes the approach from MAG in terms of encouraging better motorbike driver skills and behaviour, and its contribution to the transportation debate.
Motor cycles and traffic calming
Traffic calming measures are designed to reduce speeds of all traffic, including motorbikes. Were motorbikes to occupy their appropriate position on the road approaching traffic calming schemes, and adhere to the speed limits through these schemes, then elements of the scheme such as traffic islands, would pose no threat to motorcycle drivers.
What is the DTO?
The Dublin Transportation Office (dto) was established in
1995 to coordinate the implementation by the relevant agencies of an agreed
integrated transport strategy for the Greater Dublin Area, namely The Dublin
Transportation Initiative ( dti ) which was adopted as government policy in
1994. The dti 'Vision for Dublin' was to produce a practicable set of
recommendations for new transport infrastructure and complimentary measures to
manage projected growth in the demand for travel from all sections of the
community over twenty years. It aimed not just to provide another report on a
shelf but an ongoing planning process. The dto makes a continuous input to
transportation planning and land use policy through a team of engineers,
planners, technicians and administrators who specialise in Transportation
Planning, Transportation Modelling, Traffic Management and Land Use
Planning. The business of the office managed and controlled by the
Director. Overall responsibility for the office rests with the Steering
Committee appointed by the Minister for the Environment.
Why
should motorcyclists be Concerned?
The DTO's mission is to "coordinate the
implementation of an integrated transport strategy" and to "manage
projected growth in the demand for travel from all sections of the community".
The statement issued flies in the face of the basic mission of the DTO.
Excluding motorcycles from planning is a neglect of responsibility and is
discriminartory against motorcycles.
What
will MAG do?
MAG Dublin will be meeting with the DTO to clarify the
points raised in the statement. MAG
Ireland will take this issue to the highest levels - namely the department of
Environment & Local Government, who created the DTO. MAG believes that
the statement is inaccurate, mis-leading, illogical and frankly insulting to the
thousands of law-abiding motorcycle and scooter users in Dublin. For a
government agency to publicly state its unsupported perception that users of
powered two wheelers are erratic drivers and particularly prone to law-breaking
is scandalous. To base public policy on such perception is highly unprofessional
and un-democratic. The vague generalisations and open display of prejudice
contained in this ill-advised document are not what we have come to expect from
the DTO and we hope they can publicly assure us that it is not part of official
DTO policy.
What can you Do?
Full DTO contact details are at their website, www.dto.ie,
if you wish to offer feedback on their position or on their perception of
powered two-wheelers. Write to Noel Dempsey, Minister for the Environment
& Local Government. Contact your local TD.
Another
Statement from DTO (13 March)
POLLUTION
We believe most motorcycles and scooters are noisier than most cars.
Scooters especially. There is no great difference in car exhaust and
motorcycle exhaust in terms of pollution. Pollution per person on a
bus is way less than either pollution per person in a car or on a
motorbike. Pollution from a cyclist is zero. That is a fact.
QBC
I notice motorcyclists use the North Strand QBC more than they don't.
There is traffic camera evidence of this every single day (which you can
see for youself on the Dublin Corporation Website). That is a
fact. If they were not to go along the QBC or the outside of the
traffic queue there would be no great impact on the amount of people
through a road. That is a fact. At the moment 50% approx of
travellers are carried legally in the QBC. Non legal use includes:
Taxis without a fare, Hackney, Motorbikes, Private car violators. To
make concessions to any of [these] would impact on the quality for the bus
users and cyclists, I believe that to be a fact. There is constant
pressure for the QBC's to open to [these] violators - if we opened them to
all pressure groups they would be hardly QBC's any more.
VOLUME
Maybe two motorbikes can travel safely in the space of one car at the
speed limit. So no great saving there for the DTO. I understand both
sides of this argument, the DTO have a brief to maximise transportation
with limited space and therefore include little concessions to
motorcyclists. One bus carries on average sixty times more people
than the adjacent car or motorbike. (At the peak much more)
Motorcyclists would like more facilities and are upset at the DTO non position on their choice of transport. The DTO prefers buses and push cycling as a solution to road congestion and therefore focuses on these modes.
To conclude the DTO is not against the use of Motor cycles, they are perfectly entitled to drive around the public roads. The DTO do not actively promote their use as we are focusing on the modes we feel are better solutions to the traffic problem.
MAG
Ireland's letter to DTO (30 March)
Dear Mr. Henry,
I note, with concern, that a letter to you from MAG Dublin chairman, Jimmy Kenny, has not been acknowledged or answered in any way. This letter was written in response to a communication from Michael Ahern, senior officer in the DTO, concerning motorcycles.
I wish to stress that Mr Ahern’s statement has caused great annoyance and insult to hundreds of motorcyclists, who have contacted this association and we are concerned that the matter should be addressed.
The vague generalisations and open display of prejudice contained in the statement are not what we would expect from the DTO. More concerning is that public policy might be based on unsupported perceptions that users of powered two wheelers are erratic drivers and particularly prone to law-breaking.
I request an immediate acknowledgement to Mr. Kenny and an immediate meeting, with yourself, so that you may assure us that Mr. Ahern’s statement is not official DTO policy. I am copying Minister Dempsey on all the correspondence, such is the level of our concern that this issue be addressed.
Herb Finnegan
Chairman, MAG Ireland
MAG
Ireland's letter to DOE
(30 March)
Dear Minister
Dempsey,
I wish to appraise you of a serious concern of this association regarding the recent issuing of a derogatory and insulting document by a senior planner at the Dublin Transportation Office.
A copy of the document is attached. Also attached is a letter from the chairman of MAG Dublin, dated 12 March, to John Henry DTO Director, which at this time is not acknowledged or answered in any way. My letter of this date, to John Henry, is also enclosed.
This association is first of all dismayed that our serious concerns, expressed in writing, have been ignored. We are more concerned that at the attitude in the statement from the planner - un-founded, inaccurate and insulting as it may be - should be taken as, or form the basis of, official DTO (government) policy.
We have written to you and Minister Molloy in the past on the subject of motorcycles and how they are a part of the solution to urban congestion. We continue to be disappointed that PTWs, as a valid form of transportation and being favoured by more and more people over the car, are being totally ignored in all transportation planning in this land. The attitude from the DTO is symptomatic of this neglect. This has got to change.
For your interest, I also enclose an email to me from MAG UK’s representative in Northern Ireland, indicating that the Department of Transport there are forward-thinking in regard to the validity of PTWs – even going so far as to state a firm commitment to permit motorcycles in their bus lanes this Summer.
On a positive note, I acknowledge that Minister Molloy is facilitating a meeting between MAG Ireland and one of his senior officials on the subject of motorcycles in buslanes.
Sincerely,
Herb Finnegan
Chairman MAG Ireland
MAG
gets
meeting with Minister's officials
(24 April)
In response to
the several letters, Minister Molloy's ofice has respomnded to MAG that
the Minister is very busy and is unable to meet with us, but he has
appointed a senior civil servant from his office to meet with us. As
of 02 May, this meeting is being planned and wil likely be in the week of
08 May.