I BIKE Dublin is an

advocacy group Advocacy groups, also known as interest groups, special interest groups, lobbying groups or pressure groups use various forms of advocacy in order to influence public opinion and ultimately policy. They play an important role in the developm ...

founded in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, Ireland in 2017 and is focused on improving conditions for cycling in Dublin city. The group carries out direct actions to raise awareness of the issues facing people who cycle in Dublin and to pressure the authorities to do more to provide safe conditions for cycling. IBIKEDublin_DieIn

The group's activities have included People Protected Bike Lanes,

Die-in A die-in, sometimes known as a lie-in, is a form of protest in which participants simulate being dead. Die-ins are actions that have been used by a variety of protest groups on topics such as animal rights, anti-war, against traffic violence, hum ...

s and slow cycle protests. The first action took place on Andrew's Street, Dublin on 27 June 2017 and involved the protection of a contraflow cycle lane which was a black spot for illegal parking. The action immediately attracted media attention and a follow up action a week later made the main evening news on national television channel

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...

. In December 2017, I BIKE Dublin coordinated a crowd sourcing of illegal parking on cycle lanes in Dublin in response to claims by the

Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards", is the national police service of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Gover ...

that they were taking the issue seriously. More incidents of illegal parking were recorded in one week in Dublin than had been recorded by the Garda Síochána in an entire year, nationwide. In April 2018, following the death of a young man while cycling in

Donnybrook, Dublin Donnybrook () is a district of Dublin, Ireland. It is situated on the southside of the city, in the Dublin 4 postal district, and is home to the Irish public service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). It was once part of the Pemb ...

, I BIKE Dublin teamed up with other cycling groups and organisations to stage a

die-in A die-in, sometimes known as a lie-in, is a form of protest in which participants simulate being dead. Die-ins are actions that have been used by a variety of protest groups on topics such as animal rights, anti-war, against traffic violence, hum ...

outside

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( , ; ) is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature), which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann (the upper house).Article 15.1.2º of the Constitution of Ireland read ...

to highlight the dangers faced by people cycling in Dublin. In June 2019, the group presented its work at the

Velo-city Velo-city is a series of cycle planning conferences that started in 1980 in Bremen. The name Velo-city is a small play on word using the French for bicycle – vélo, and Velo-city can also be read as velocity or speed. European Cyclists’ F ...

conference hosted by

Dublin City Council Dublin City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the authority responsible for local government in the city of Dublin in Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Until 2001, the council wa ...

. They presented

Klaus Bondam Klaus Bondam (born 19 November 1963, in Aakirkeby) is a Danish actor and politician. Acting career Bondam has been the manager two theatres, (1996–2003) and Folketeatret (2003–2005), and been administrative manager of Mungo Park theatre ...

, head of the Danish Cyclists' Federation, with a t-shirt in recognition of his outspoken criticism of the council and their lack of action in delivering safe

cycling infrastructure Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by motorists are also cycling infrastructure, except whe ...

. In October 2019, I BIKE Dublin teamed up with

Extinction Rebellion Extinction Rebellion (abbreviated as XR) is a global environmental movement, with the stated aim of using nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and the risk o ...

to stage a slow cycle along the streets of Dublin as part of Extinction Rebellion's Week of Action. In November 2019 the group was invited to appear before the Joint

Oireachtas The Oireachtas (, ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of: *The President of Ireland *The bicameralism, two houses of the Oireachtas ...

Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport to discuss the issues facing people who cycle in Dublin. In December 2019, I BIKE Dublin presented Irish author,

Dervla Murphy Dervla Murphy (28 November 1931 – 22 May 2022) was an Irish touring cyclist and author of adventure travel books, writing for more than 50 years. Murphy is best known for her 1965 book '' Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle'', about a ...

with the inaugural ''Inspiring Cyclist of the Year'' award in recognition of her life's work as a touring cyclist and travel writer.

References

Organisations based in Dublin (city) Transport in Dublin (city) Public transport advocacy organizations Cycling organizations Cycling activism {{Cycling-org-stub

See also

References