Cycul

The Shipping Forecast

The Shipping Forecast

📷 Sally Castle (linocut)

#ott #offtopictuesday

I've been up to something. For many, it's not worth making a big deal of it. But for me, it's been a goal for a long time. I started commuter cycling from #collegeward. I think it makes sense to share this as my entry into the #weekwithoutdriving challenge.

cont… “could not be reasonably expected to deliver improved outcomes and may further damage stakeholder confidence in the Department’s ability to deliver modal shift.”

cont… “but not truly delivering increases in expenditure on the scale intended by the Act and expected by stakeholders. In our view, such an approach would be self-defeating in that simply reclassifying existing and ongoing expenditure lines…

cont… “There is a key risk that these revisions could create an impression of the Department’s actions not being within the spirit of the Act, and instead applying a window-dressing approach to comply with the Act…

cont… “These revised estimates have been developed internally by the Department, and were not subject to consultation or formal engagement with external stakeholders…

3.34 “The impact of including these new costs within the estimates of baseline active travel expenditure significantly decreases the additional investment needed to meet the Climate Change Act target compared to 2024 baseline estimates…

3.31 “Recent Departmental analysis indicates baseline annual annual expenditure on active travel has been £50 million.”

While not at the level originally intended, the projects which have been delivered to date have still required substantial investment... The evidence available does not demonstrate that the investment made has materially improved cycling rates.” Northern Ireland Audit Office

“On the basis of the above, we do not consider that the Department is able to demonstrate that historically it
has achieved value for money in respect of its active travel spend.”

2.17 “lack of objectives & measurable targets – the active travel benefits of schemes were not always clear… Where targets were identified these were framed in terms of infrastructure rather than increased usage/active travel… in some cases, there were no targets set at all”

2.14 “we attempted to analyse the proportion of new cycling infrastructure that was segregated. However, the Department was unable to provide this information as it has not been methodically gathering and collating such data.”

“The significant increase in journeys undertaken by bicycle has bicycle has not been achieved”

2.12 “The investment that has been made has had little discernible impact upon behaviours

The evidence available does not demonstrate that the investment made has materially improved cycling rates in line with the Department’s intentions.”

The report correctly highlights that:
The Department gave evidence to Stormont that it's annual spend in 2022-23 was £13.3 million.
Since then it has “reconsidered how it had been interpreting what expenditure” and now claims to spend ~£50M per year.

The @niauditoffice.bsky.social
has published it's report on @infrastructure-ni.gov.uk
progress on Active Travel in Northern Ireland.

“There is also no evidence that delivery to date has significantly increased active travel rates.”

t.co/sWNbZn3DXm

Bounced cheques. People want their investment back… The Department for Infrastructure produced their Bicycle Strategy 10 years ago. It promised a revolution in transport. It’s delivered nothing. It now feels like a rather large bounced cheque – some pe...

BOUNCED CHEQUES People want their investment back
——
New article up on @SluggerOToole
Have a read, leave a comment.

sluggerotoole.com/2025/06/20/b...

I'm afraid I have no answer.

Bounced cheques. People want their investment back… The Department for Infrastructure produced their Bicycle Strategy 10 years ago. It promised a revolution in transport. It’s delivered nothing. It now feels like a rather large bounced cheque – some pe...

BOUNCED CHEQUES People want their investment back
——
New article up on @SluggerOToole
Have a read, leave a comment.

sluggerotoole.com/2025/06/20/b...

Road deaths – An acceptable level of violence? Between 1969 and 2001 3,532 people died during the troubles. During the same period 7291 died on the roads. The Troubles are a constant reminder of the suffering caused by violence and a context for u...

“Between 1969 and 2001 3,532 people died during the troubles. During the same period 7291 died on the roads.”

sluggerotoole.com/2025/02/04/r...

Tokyo rail map.

Worth mentioning - you can’t own a car in Japan unless you have a certificate (Shako Shomeisho) proving you have a designated parking space.

You can’t store your car on a public street/street.

We meet at last…

A man on a very tall bike, balancing himself against a traffic light.

I quite enjoyed this fella's style.

Thanks for coming along this morning for a simple, safe and stress free cycle down to city hall for breakfast.
Thanks to Dep. Lord Mayor @PaulDoherty___ for the warm welcome and @belfastcc for the continued support.

Ive given up. Just been down Corporation st. and even though there is a belfast bikes stand outside City Quays park, the cycle lane is a road to nowhere onto the footpath. No cycling sign onto it aswell.

WALKING & CYCLING CHAMPION DAY. #WACCday
––
It’s 5 years since DFI created the Walking & Cycling Champion. It’s a day to celebrate the achievements & transformations delivered by DFI over that time.
Has your life changed forever… for the better?

Share your stories…

Speaking in the Northern Ireland Assembly today, Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins gave an update on the pedestrianisation of Hill Street in Belfast.

Great piece.
The announcement by DfI today re: Hill St, suggests the current department simply don’t have the stomach for it.

Congestion in Belfast – Part 4 – How do we achieve modal shift? This is the final blog in a series exploring the problem of congestion in Belfast, and indeed in cities in general. The five blogs in this series explore the following five questions: Why does traf…

Congestion in Belfast - Blog Post 5 - How can we achieve modal shift? wesleyjohnston.wordpress.com/2025/04/28/c...

Can we learn to walk again? In the 1950s American writer Ray Bradbury predicted earphones, flat screen TVs, self driving cars and ATMs. In his 1951 short story – The Pedestrian – Bradbury also predicted a future where you might ...

In the 1950s American writer Ray Bradbury predicted earphones, flat screen TVs, self driving cars and ATMs. In his 1951 short story – The Pedestrian – Bradbury also predicted a future where you might be arrested for walking.
#Walking #SustainableTransport
sluggerotoole.com/2025/04/12/c...