What a response from Dublin cyclists to the call-out by Dublin Cycling Campaign for cyclists’ voices to be heard demanding appropriate funding from the overall transport pie! Nearly 800 cyclists gathered in Merrion Square last evening to show their support for far greater funding levels for cycling and to make cycling safe for all ages. They then cycled en masse to the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport, where a letter on behalf of cyclists nationwide was handed in to Minister Shane Ross’ office.

The protest cycle was raucous but good natured; an undercurrent of anger from those present was however very much palpable. Many were saying we need to do more of this - we need to make our voices heard. The speeches from Independent Senator Alice Mary Higgins, Councillors Andrew Montague and Ciaran Cuffe - both big cycling champions, Dr. Cara Augustenborg (climate activist), and our own Damien Ó Tuama (National Cycling Coordinator) inspired the crowd. In essence, the speeches explained why greater funding for cycling made economic sense, made sense in the context of the future health of our society, made sense in the context of climate change and energy consumption, and made sense in mobility terms! In short, funding cycling is a no-brainer!

The protest was accompanied by a veritable media blitz: virtually every national radio station as well as all of Dublin’s local stations featured interviews with Campaign members and news items on the event. The print and online media were with photographs and articles, and it also featured on UTV Ireland News (5.30pm) and the Claire Byrne show on RTE1 television. We are now assessing the impact of this media storm. Dublin Cycling Campaign will review the success of this protest and we certainly will hope to build on it in the future!

A special thanks to all our volunteer organisers who gave their time generously and in a very coordinated way - and, of course, a very special thanks goes out to all of you who came along and made the gathering such a great success! We are hoping you will consider supporting us and this type of activity by signing up as a member of Dublin Cycling Campaign - it only takes two minutes. You can be a part of the change to make our cities safe for cycling for as little as €20 per year. We also look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming meetings.

Finally, you can send your own letter / email to Minister Shane Ross using our suggested text. Again, it only takes a few minutes and will help contribute to changing the culture!