NUI Galway – UL Alliance First Annual ENGINEERING AND - ARAN ...

Cycling Ireland to Work: Sustainable job creation through the construction of
a National Cycling Network
Abstract
A proposed National Cycle Network (NCN), connecting
Ireland’s major urban centres and potentially opening
up rural, recreational and commuter cycling routes,
could lead to significant job creation in the
construction, maintenance and tourism sectors. This
study will develop a framework for the establishment of
a NCN and carry out a feasibility study of one major
route corridor – Galway to Clifden – investigating: (i)
route selection (ii) materials and design and (iii) cost
benefit analyses .
1. Introduction
Ireland is in the midst of an economic crisis;
numbers directly employed in construction fell from
270,000 to 125,000 between 2007 and 2010 [1]. The
tourism industry has also seen a sharp downturn with
one million fewer tourists visiting in 2010 when
compared to 2009 [2]. Meanwhile, cycle tourism is an
established industry across Europe and it has been
found that cycle tourists spend at least as much as other
types of tourists [3].
On the Veloland Schweiz network in Switzerland,
which is of similar length to Ireland’s proposed NCN,
the initial investment of €6.3 million in the network was
returned in 2-3 years [3]. In 2009, only 2% of tourists
(114,000 people) cycled while staying in Ireland [3],
however, in Germany and the Netherlands, this figure is
above 20%. A study conducted by MORI found the
main disadvantages of Ireland as a cycling destination
to be infrastructural issues: dangerous roads, poor
quality roads, lack of cycling network, bad signposting,
unsuitable roads [4]. The construction of a NCN could
create jobs in construction and maintenance and lead to
the development of a significant cycle tourism industry.
In Ireland, 62% of people are overweight or obese
[5]. One of the causes of this is a lack of physical
activity – 86% children and 75% adults do not get the
recommended amount of physical activity [6]. 1.1
million people drive to work (58%), meanwhile only
36,000 (2%) cycle [1] and 22% of Ireland’s CO2
emissions are as a result of transport [7]. Cycling has
extensive health benefits – increasing physical activity
rates and outdoor exercise; and environmental benefits
– reduction in motor vehicles and CO2 emissions.
2. Route-selection
One factor impeding the development of cycle
tourism in Ireland is the lack of safe, traffic-free cycle
Richard Manton * , Eoghan Clifford.
Civil Engineering, NUI Galway
*Corresponding author: r.manton1@nuigalway.ie
106
routes [3]. A combination of on- and off-road cycle
tracks, possibly using existing paths along canal towpaths
and disused railway lines, e.g. the abandoned
Galway-Clifden railway line could overcome these
issues. In general, route selection will seek to balance
the interests of commuters, tourists and leisure cyclists.
3. Materials and Design
Cycle lanes, unlike highway pavements, are not
required to support large daily loads. Therefore, the
pavement required can be comparably thin – 50mm
surface/base course and a 200mm binder course [8].
Other factors to be considered during design include
adequate drainage, the use of non-frost-susceptible
material in the formation, the provision of emergency
and maintenance access and the use of waste or byproduct
materials.
4. Conclusion
A NCN, and the Galway-Clifden corridor in
particular, can have societal and economic benefits.
Sustainable jobs will be created in the construction and
maintenance works and a new, lucrative tourist industry
will be developed. The infrastructure will also lead to
extensive health and environmental benefits for local
users. This study is an important step to developing
guidelines to ensure sustainable and cost-effective
design, development and implementation of the
National Cycle Network.
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank the National Roads
Authority (NRA) and the Department of Transport
Sustainable Transport Office for funding this project.
References
[1] Central Statistics Office (CSO), 2010.
[2] Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC), Year-end
Review 2010 & Outlook 2011, 2010.
[3] Fáilte Ireland, A Strategy for the Devlopment of Irish
Cycle Tourism, Conclusions Report, 2007
[4] MORI Ireland, 2005.
[5] Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD), Health at a Glance: Europe 2010,
2010.
[6] DCU, 2009.
[7] Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), 2010.
[8] UK Roads Board, Footway and Cycle Route Design,
Construction and Maintenance Guide, Berkshire, 2003