Further Recommendations by Sligo Cycling Campaign:

 

Action 1

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All pedestrian light timings to be altered to favour pedestrians by default. This includes the N4 crossings where wait times for cyclists and pedestrians using the “green-man” crossings are inordinately long. The claim that this cannot be done because the road is a National Primary Route needs to be challenged by councillors and campaigners. The N4 bisects the town and TII must accept that in an urban setting the safety and convenience of people walking, and cycling takes precedence especially in a time of a public health emergency

Reason:

Avoid bunching of pedestrians at crossings, avoid pedestrians having to touch the button. Encourage active travel by reducing delays. 4

 

Action 2

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Provide networked cycle routes: The 2012 Active Towns funding of €955,000 for cycling infrastructure in Sligo created routes as far as the outskirts of town but didn’t factor in access to the town centre and cross-town routes. This needs to be rectified immediately even on a temporary basis by providing advanced bike boxes and bike lights at busy junctions, bike signage, temporary routes and traffic calming as required for the key routes into and through town, e.g. A very simple example of the lack of signage is that the segregated N4 cycle route actually starts at Flynns Tce but you would never know that as there is no signage in place or road markings to indicate the right turn from Temple St to access it.

Sligo Co Co needs to ask, what are the safest and optimal routes from Strandhill Road, Pearse Road/Carraroe and N15/Cartron Area to 1. Town Centre 2. Sligo University hospital and the IT 3. Primary and Secondary Schools and 4. Finisklin Business Park?

 

Reason:

We need routes that track the journeys actually undertaken by shoppers, students and commuters. The Behaviour Change element of the Active Towns funding was spent on the Urban Cycle Sligo video initiative. The videos are an attractive showcase for tourism but do not meet the needs of the everyday local cyclist who needs maps, signs, and defined routes.

 

Action 3

Where cycle lanes end abruptly, there should be road markings allowing the cyclist to ease back into traffic, 2 examples come to mind in particular -Riverside and Strandhill Rd outside Scoil Ursula but it should apply to all.

 

Reason:

It is dangerous to just leave the cyclist stuck on the left-hand side of the road and give no indication to driver that a person cycling needs to merge with traffic.

 

Action 4

The “No Through Road” traffic sign at start of Kennedy Parade should be amended to read “No Through Road Except Bicycles” and road markings should be changed to show that bicycles are permitted to cross on to Rockwood Parade

 

Reason: This is the logical route to access the town centre from the Cranmore, Doorly Park area. It is already possible in reverse. Legally accessing the town centre via Abbey St involves a diversion up Old Market St and down High St whereas at Kennedy Parade it is just straight across and safer because there are fewer junctions to navigate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Action 5

The question of contra-flow cycle routes on certain streets needs to be examined. Stephen St and The Mall come to mind but there may be others.

 

Reason:

Contra Flow is quite common in other countries and is in use in Dublin and other cities. Contra flow provides safer, less stressful and faster routes for cyclists away from large volumes of traffic.