Dublin City Greenway Cycle

by cyclist - personal capacity Tue Dec 18, 2007 14:11

Seems like you've put a lot of work into an ambitious, sensible and civic-minded idea there. Did it ever get discussed with the people who have to make these decisions and is it still a possibility to implement it?

Have you picked up any tips from the Barca crowd as to why their city is more bike friendly? Is it a grassroots effort or is it people in responsible positions setting good example?

Are you still interested in trying to make this a reality for the city?

Beir bua, C.

by dunk - Dublin ECG (eco city group) Fri Dec 14, 2007 17:38 fuspey at yahoo dot co dot uk barcelona

after recieving an uplifting mail today that has got the ball rolling again, the following mail was sent out as a response and as a sort of summing up of how attempts to turn the idea of the botanic spine panned out:

Hello and greetings from Barcelona
My name is Duncan Crowley and I am an architect from Dublin living in Barcelona, I write to you in regard to movements that could perhaps lead to a proper greenway for Dublin city. It is still my dream that this bold idea will become a reality soon and with some effort surely it will.

Below is my response to Sean, I hope that this opens up a wider dialogue which can be carried on on lists, on bike rides, on emails.

regards from a city that thinks boldly, barcelona

adeu, dunk

Sean

My name is Duncan Crowley and I am an architect. I indeed explored this issue as part of my architectural thesis investigation into the creation of a greenway for dublin city, in the hope of moving dublin down more ecological lines. I covered many angles at the time and found both positive and negative things.

My theoretical exploration was coupled with real world activity, during which we set up the Dublin ECG (eco city group) in a very loose format, the name given to the route was the BOTANIC SPINE and we did bike rides along the route about 6 times.

see image of the basic route, its about 18km long

the route connects the 2 canals, liffey, dodder at south canal basin, camack river in inchicore, phoenix park and botanic gardens which has the tolka behind it: in short connecting many of the cities green and blue routes and spaces, as well as the communities they are connected to, many of which have long been abandoned or let slip by past governments: sheriff st, dolphins barn, @ cabra train lines...

I made an A3 summary of the idea behind the botanic spine which can be found in PDF format at

indymedia.ie/attachments/feb2007/botanic_spine.pdf
or
PDF Document Botanic Spine : an eco corridor for Dublin city 0.25 Mb

below is a lower rez of that file:
Botanic Spine, an eco corridor for Dublin city

here is a picture of one of our bike rides, not too big, but a start...
Dublin Greenway cyclist along banks of the Grand Canal
Dublin Greenway cyclist along banks of the Grand Canal
Let me just say from the outset that I believe this is not only a thoroughly feasible idea but that it WILL definately become a reality someday. Not only is most of the route nearly all there but the line it draws is what, more or less taking the cabra end into account, delineates Dublin between its inner and outer city, that is a thing which should be highlighted and celebrated and not left abandonded, lost and presently dangerous (look over the railings near sherriff street...needles and the like)

Currenently the area of the canal from amiens st. to the river is off limits to the local community, as it has been for ever, i think. But there has been an architectural competition for a linear park which was won by a german landscaping firm i think, i presume work will begin on this soon, perhaps they should be contacted with the request that the bike lane is part of the idea with the idea that it can grow to the full spine greenway for the city.

After my findings I was scheduled to meet the head city architect, Dick Gleeson, 2 times but he was pulled away at last minute and after that I had lost confidence in our ever meeting, I had talked to him previously at the future of the city conference in the convergence festival. I sent him and head city architect Jim Barrett the outlying plans, but heard nothing back. I also tried to set up a forum in Sheriff Street with the community to talk about the idea but that forum did not happen due to unforseen events. I sent word of the idea to the canal communities in Dublin 8 as part of a grant application, we were successful, this was with the local dolphins barn gardening collective that I was part of and im not sure where that has all ended up now. I left Ireland over a year ago to travel, learn and work abroad. I left frustrated and disapointed at the lack of imagination, drive, commmitment to bottom up planning mechanisms that I feel, rightly or wrongly, existed then in Dublin. I now live in Barcelona which is held as a model as a city that got it right. I hope sometime, Dublin, finally gets it right....Perhaps you may be able to help on this matter...

Anyway, to fill you in on some of what I found and to give you info which might assist you.

Velo city was happening in Ireland at the time of my investigation / action and the first bike ride happened during this (may 2005), our greenway cycle was not fully supported by the DDDA and organisation organisers for various reasons. On one bikeride the then deputy lord mayor of Dublin, labour councilor, Andrew Montague joined us and liked the idea a lot, he is an avid cyclist and said he would try to help later.

The development of GREENWAYS in ireland falls under the heritage council and at the time (@ may 2005) Beatrice Kelly was the person in charge of promoting their idea as well as developing plans for them. Also at this time she chaired the euro / international greenway conference, during this conference a man from the wallonia part of belgium talked about how successful were the greenway movement that the mayor simply made a municipal order that all the sides of canals were to become bikeways, as far as i know thats how it works there now. During the forum an Irish woman asked the heritage council what they had been doing to promote this fantastic idea in Ireland "we really ought to be doing more", or something along those lines was the response. I then spoke and told those gathered that i had recently spoke on 2 community local radio stations about the idea and offered links to more info as well as briefly outlining our idea and inviting people to join us on the first bike ride which happened @ 3 days later, some of the Czech delegation and i think french joined us for the start, Daniel Mouriek (prague, i think) was especially supportive and said our approach was exactly the correct mechanism: connecting with local community, bottom up, building up to bring about change. I probably could or should have presented the ideas in a cleared more succinct manor but the final days of an architectural thesis are a very difficult time....anyway, I feel there was a lack of support for the idea we proposed, i think these governmental agencies should open more for ideas if they are of value and feasible, which i feel our idea was / is still...

I worked to try to get the bike community supportive of the idea, i joined the DCC, dublin cycling campaign and there i met another man, alan roberts, who also was interested in the idea of bike lanes / greenways along canal edges, we looked at a series of routes. A friend Paul Baynes, one of the ECG group was also involved with this discussion. The idea never really took too much hold with the DCC as far as i know, perhaps that is not correct or things have changed.

I am a bike activist and participated in many of the cities "critical mass's" and tried to encourage that community to participate, again a mute response... CM's perhaps have a bad name in ireland, but in Budapest they are supported by the entire city and 30,000 people participated on one for car free day a few years ago, in dublin we were lucky to get @ 20 normally, again frustration with this...

My completed thesis can be found in DIT bolton st library in the architectural section, its in the 2005 section its full title is "CATALYST @ BOTANIC SPINE", the intro 20 pages or so deal with the issues relevant to your search, they also propose the then discussed metro line go under this route using the cut and cover technique, this was after discussions with the rail users lobby group, platform 11.

An earlier intro part was submitted to an Taisce and will be in their library,

When labour held many of the mayor positions there was an open day in liberty hall and again the idea was offered out then.

I wish you well and hope things do indeed progress

included below are links to more info, images, ideas, reports etc that were written as things happened.
__________________________________________
BOTANIC SPINE a new eco corridor and greenway for dublin city ...
http://www.dublin.ie/botanicspine/
__________________________________________
green corridors in cities
http://easa.antville.org/stories/960542/
__________________________________________
euro greenway conference-
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/69926
__________________________________________
convergence 7 + feedback
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=69638
__________________________________________
Majority World Velo City Special
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/70101
__________________________________________
Dublin City Greenway Cycle
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=70281
__________________________________________
Dublin City Greenway Cycle
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=69929
this includes photos and report of our first greenway bike ride (Jun 02, 2005)
__________________________________________
Dublin City Greenway Cycle - with lots of audio files, unfortunately not accessible now due to imc-radio down
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=70281
__________________________________________
Dublin : first Greenway cycle of 2006
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/75672
__________________________________________
the_irish_community_gardening_experience
http://wikihost.org/wikis/casas_bcn/wiki/the_irish_comm...ience

Botanic Spine, an eco corridor for Dublin city

Dublin Greenway cyclist along banks of the Grand Canal

by dunk Tue Jun 14, 2005 17:22

more audio clips from velo city and other eco issues here
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=70101&condense_comments=false#comment110934

lieve from the belgian ministry of transport and mobility

by dunk Mon Jun 06, 2005 17:01

following is part of email sent out to various people, in further attempt to see how idea can become a reality:


"I met and spoke with many of you during the recent euro greenway conference in dublin or at the international velo city conference and i am reporting back to firstly make contact and secondly to further attempt to communicate the idea we are trying to realise here in Dublin:

the botanic spine: an 18km urban greenway and CPUL (continous productive urban landscape) for dublin city, an ecological corridor that weaves through the inner city along the banks of the cities canals joining up the parks and communities it moves through.

I talked with many people about the feasability and possible funding of this project, it seems it could definately happen so i am trying to make the necessary contacts to try to make that happen, the heritage council are responsible for the developement of greenways in ireland and i have talked to beatrice kelly about this but i am trying to set up more forums and bike rides with the communities that would benefit from this project.

last wednesday we organised the first "dublin city greenway cycle", it was a great evening, @ 15 people joined us including euro greenways people. we did the cycle around the loop and intend to do it on the last sunday of every month as a means to highlight that the route is nearly there and also as a means to raise further awareness about it in a fun way with the communities that will benefit from the project.

so i am writing to you to inform you of where things are at and to also ask you for your advice in how best to further this project, is there funding available for project, is it possible to submit a paper on it? im not sure how best to advance the idea. im meeting with Dick Gleeson, the head city planner to discuss the idea on friday so hopefully that might take things on a bit further

there is also a group in belfast that are also looking at a similar project which would have the extra layer of conflict resolution to it and would definately further push the peace process on.

id appreciate any assisance or direction

thanks for your time"

by audiofreak Robbie Mon Jun 06, 2005 16:48

Lovely work, great goin'...

by dunk Mon Jun 06, 2005 15:49

more audio reports here
http://radio.indymedia.org/news/2005/06/5219.php
and there will be a more concise report tomorow

by dunk Fri Jun 03, 2005 18:36

.

dublin ECG

by dunk Thu Jun 02, 2005 15:51

a new initiave, fair chance of getting funding for it
previous examples

Foyle Valley Cycling and Walking Route receives a distinction from the European Greenways Awards of Excellence
6th June 2003
http://www.derrycity.gov.uk/Press%20Releases/060603-cycling.htm

local beerbridge clean ups of greenway:
http://www.sustrans.org.uk/?county=1095335304515

belfast greenway

by dunk Thu Jun 02, 2005 15:17

there is a sister project being looked at by cyclist working with sustrans (sustainable transport)
they already have a very comprehensive bike map of the city

belfast greenway and CPUL (continous productive urban landscape)

greenway from source of feirste stream, through city, to cemetry, around loop of newly opened hills, back to source

by dunk Thu Jun 02, 2005 15:00

about their park at start of greenway cycle

football, trees, playground, waterslide, films.....

http://radio.indymedia.org/uploads/imgp1079.wav

by dunk Thu Jun 02, 2005 14:53

greenway audio interview
http://radio.indymedia.org/uploads/imgp1076.wav


this event and the idea behind it has been discussed on community radio, the euro greenways conference and with velocity people.
there had been some lack of support for this grassroots initiiave from main velocity organisers DTO (dublin transport organisation), i spoke with head micheal aherne who asked us to not go ahead with cycle and said he could not see why we were doing it-
to highlight its there and to attempt to make it a reality, also do cycle and organise forums about it in local communities, get them behind idea.
anyway it went ahead
it was talked about at euro greenway conference and massive interest was shown

@ 12 people turned up, then the gardaí turned up, then the greenways people, then the sheriff st kids, so we did some audio with the greenways rep from czech republic, daniel mouriak about how this is becoming a movement, going beyond national boundaries, connecting communities, greening our world.
this route is more than a greenway and its called the botanic spine
botanic spine; a greenway, CPUL (continous productive urban landscape), green chain, eco corridor, city ordering device.

we got to phoenix park and the dublin ECG (eco city group) was created about 8pm, the grassroots principals and a little chat ensued about how best to go about changing the world, as mr lahti who has set up an "eco municipality network" in sweden said "changing the world is easy, it makes sense, everybody wants to make the world greener"

we finished about 11, got a quick roll and headed to the nep/ flowing tide beer garden for a celebrational sup.

we will repeat the cycle last sunday every month, we will leave from around sheriff st park / mayor square and go clockwise, anti clock wise on alternative days
a film is being made too

is this a criticall mass?- no its the dublin greenway cycle

international greenways and velo city people come to support grassroots initiave

because were north and south of the river

dublin ECG (eco city group) is founded @ 8pm, wed 1st june 2005

finish up in the nep for a few scoops to end a top evening

by dunk Thu Jun 02, 2005 14:16

dublin eco city group is now up and running, more reports later
dunk

grand canal basin

by ruthf Wed Jun 01, 2005 15:11

the forum on Wed 1 June is not going to take place. the cycle will go ahead as planned at 6.30p.m. from Mayor Square.

by dunk Thu May 26, 2005 14:25

there will be a short piece on majority world this evening, near fm 101.6fm 5.20 ish, more later
i finally contacted velo city- as a principal they do not reply to emails they are allready not familiar with, will contact further
various people representing many different groups will be at public forum in sheriff st @ corporation hall, north wall community hall on wednesday, the time looks like it will be 1-2pm
still organising

by dunk Sat May 21, 2005 15:32

heres what the heritage council for ireland say:

"Greenways are shared-use routes for non-motorised users, (walkers, cyclists, roller skaters, horse riders) for pleasure, recreation, tourism and daily journeys. In Ireland, a number of initiatives have been take to develop them, the longest being the Beara Breifne greenway from Castletownbere to Leitrim.".....