1. + Cycling Ireland to Work Designing Cycle Networks to maximise tourism Richard Manton NUI Galway THRIC 2011 15 th June 2011

2. + Overview Recovery for Irish Tourism? Cycle Tourism National Cycle Network (NCN) This Research Case Study: Galway to Clifden UK NCN & C2C Conclusion

3. + Irish tourism: avenues for recovery? Tourism Renewal Group (2009) 1 Select, Invest in and Develop key market segments based on Irelands strengths What are Irelands strengths? Scenery, people, culture, history? ITIC (2011) 2 trends: Travel with a Purpose Increasing environmental consciousness amongst consumers Consumers seeking experience and adventure from leisure trips 1 Tourism Renewal Group (2009). Survival, Recovery and Growth – A Strategy for Renewing Irish Tourism, 2009-2013. 2 Irish Tourist Industry Confederation (ITIC) (2011). Tourism Opportunity – Driving Economic Renewal.

4. + Introducing Cycle Tourism Cycle tourism: Travel with a purpose Leisure tourism based on adventure Environmentally friendly Physically beneficial European value of cycle tourism 3 : Average spend per cycle tourist: 353 per trip Cycle tourism is particularly popular in Mainland Europe – a key market for growth 54bn 3 Lumsdon, L., Weston, R., McGrath, P., Davies, N., Peeters, P., Eijgelaar, E., Piket, P. (2009). The European Cycle Route Network EuroVelo – Challenges and opportunities for sustainable tourism. European Parliament, Directorate General for Internal Policies, Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion policies, Transport and Tourism.

5. + Irish Cycle Tourism Underperforming compared to the rest of Europe Numbers have failed to break 150,000 4 This is perhaps even overstated given problems with definition. Further research is needed. 200420052006200720082009 Overseas cycle visitors (000s)705378102120114 Spend ( m)6035817810397 4 Fáilte Ireland (2011). Cycling reports.

6. + Restraints on the development of Irish Cycle Tourism Numbers very satisfied with cycling in Ireland 5 : 2000: 76% 2009: 38% Mori survey for Fáilte Ireland on disadvantages of Ireland as a cycling destination Major infrastructural issues Cycling on Irish roads is thought of as unsafe 5 Fáilte Ireland (2007). A strategy for the development of Irish cycle tourism: conclusions report.

7. + Proposal for a National Cycle Network (NCN) Proposal from Fáilte Ireland and Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Network of high quality and safe cycle routes Connecting urban centres Encourage cycling for commuting, leisure and tourism

8. + This research... shows that issues such as route selection and engineering design can impact the tourism potential of cycling routes will give careful consideration to the needs of cycle tourists in order to maximise tourism revenue along NCN routes uses Galway to Clifden corridor as a case study, investigating (i) the factors affecting the route selection (ii) methodologies for the estimation of cost for each proposed route (iii) the potential economic benefits of such a route (iv) engineering considerations such as pavement design, maintenance and the safe operation of the route. Guidelines drawn from this project could be used as a basis for rolling out the proposed NCN in Ireland.

9. + Factors affecting route selection NCN User Groups Walkers School Children Directness Accessibility Scenery Comfort Challenging Routes Urban Rural Cost Engineering Commuter Cyclists Leisure Cyclists Cycle Tourists Lane width Traffic

10. + Case Study: Galway-Clifden Facts: Makes up 83km of Dublin-Clifden corridor Passes through Connemara – a region of natural beauty with a strong tourism product Passes near/through two intermediate towns – Moycullen and Oughterard (and villages Maam Cross and Recess) Ends with connections to103km of cycle loops, opened in 2009 Criteria for route selection: Maximise scenic views Facilitate commuting from Moycullen and Oughterard Optimise safety using traffic-free segments Pass by local businesses and villages Maximise benefits in relation to cost Based on these criteria, four potential routes between Galway and Clifden have been identified

11. + Case Study: Galway-Clifden

12. + Route 1 – Aligning the N59 RouteDescriptionAdvantagesDisadvantagesEstimated Cost (i) Aligning the N59 The N59 is a secondary national road connecting Galway City to Clifden, passing through Moycullen and Oughterard. The road is due to be upgraded including widening. This upgrade may allow the incorporation of on- or off-road cycle lanes on either side. (a) scenic (b) cost-effective if incorporated in upgrade phase (c) facilitates commuting from Moycullen and Oughterard (d) emergency access (a) poor journey ambience (b) safety compromised due to interaction between cyclists and motor vehicles 4.8 m

13. + Route 2 – Fáilte Ireland proposal RouteDescriptionAdvantagesDisadvantagesEstimated Cost (ii) Fáilte Ireland (2006) proposal Fáilte Ireland has proposed to construct a greenway along the disused railway line from Galway to Moycullen, then taking local roads along Lough Corrib to Oughterard. The route would return to local roads along Lough Corrib until Maam Cross, taking the R336 to Screeb, and a combination of R340, local roads and the R341 to Clifden. (a) scenic (b) interaction with villages (c) traffic-free route to Moycullen (a) difficult access in parts (b) on-road interaction with traffic (c) indirect route 2.2 m

14. + Route 3 – disused railway RouteDescriptionAdvantagesDisadvantagesEstimated Cost (iii) Use of disused railway The Galway-Clifden railway, as part of the Midland Great Western Railway, was opened in 1895 and closed in 1935. Parts of the line have been constructed upon and many of the bridges have collapsed, but large tracts remain in place. The route roughly follows the N59 and would enter Galway City through the NUI Galway campus. (a) scenic (b) traffic-free route (c) N59 nearby (d) direct (e) marketing opportunity (f) access to mountain bike trail (a) very expensive 12 m

15. + Route 4 – along Galway Bay RouteDescriptionAdvantagesDisadvantagesEstimated Cost (iv) Along Galway Bay The R336 follows the southern coast of Connemara along Galway Bay, passing through Spiddle, Rosaveel and Screeb. At Screeb, the R336 meets the R340 where the route may continue along proposal (ii) to Clifden. This option completely excludes potential commuters from Moycullen and Oughterard. (a) scenic (b) interaction with villages (c) link to Aran Islands ferry at Rosaveel (a) large and dangerous traffic volume on R336 (b) no link to Moycullen and Oughterard 0.9 m

16. + RouteDescriptionAdvantagesDisadvantagesEstimated Cost (i) Aligning the N59 The N59 is a secondary national road connecting Galway City to Clifden, passing through Moycullen and Oughterard. The road is due to be upgraded including widening (NRA, 2011). This upgrade may allow the incorporation of on- or off-road cycle lanes on either side. (a) scenic (b) cost-effective if incorporated in upgrade phase (c) facilitates commuting from Moycullen and Oughterard (d) emergency access (a) poor journey ambience (b) safety compromised due to interaction between cyclists and motor vehicles 4.8 m (ii) Fáilte Ireland (2006) proposal Fáilte Ireland (2006) proposes to construct a greenway along the disused railway line from Galway to Moycullen, then taking local roads along Lough Corrib to Oughterard. The route would return to local roads along Lough Corrib until Maam Cross, taking the R336 to Screeb, and a combination of R340, local roads and the R341 to Clifden. (a) scenic (b) interaction with villages (c) traffic-free route to Moycullen (a) difficult access in parts (b) on-road interaction with traffic (c) indirect route 2.2 m (iii) Use of disused railway The Galway-Clifden railway, as part of the Midland Great Western Railway, was opened in 1895 and closed in 1935. Parts of the line have been constructed upon and many of the bridges have collapsed, but large tracts remain in place. The route roughly follows the N59 and would enter Galway City through the NUI Galway campus. (a) scenic (b) traffic-free route (c) N59 nearby (d) direct (e) marketing opportunity (a) very expensive (b) no interaction with villages 12 m (iv) Along Galway Bay The R336 follows the southern coast of Connemara along Galway Bay, passing through Spiddle, Rosaveel and Screeb. At Screeb, the R336 meets the R340 where the route may continue along proposal (ii) to Clifden. This option completely excludes potential commuters from Moycullen and Oughterard. (a) scenic (b) interaction with villages (c) link to Aran Islands ferry at Rosaveel (a) large and dangerous traffic volume on R336 (b) no link to Moycullen and Oughterard 0.9 m

17. + Benefits of a NCN, lessons from the UK UK NCN: Started construction in 1995, in 2009, carried 407m journeys In 1995, UK cycle tourism worth 718m; in 2009 worth 1.4bn May attribute to creation of NCN C2C Route (North-East England): In 2006, 241,000 trips made (14,000 end to end) Economic benefit of route: 12m mainly accommodation and food & drink Created or safeguarded 173 jobs Similar to Dublin-Clifden corridor Day Visitors Overnight Visitors Accommodation-48% Food & Drink72%40% Retail3%2% Car costs7%3% Cycle costs4%1% Public Transport8%3% Other6%3%

18. + Conclusion Potential for Irish cycle tourism Lack of suitable infrastructure is the major inhibitor The construction of a NCN could rectify this The Galway-Clifden corridor shows how route selection can impact tourism potential, Careful consideration must be given to the needs of cycle tourists and other users UK NCN and C2C route shows the potential benefits This project will form guidelines for roll-out of the NCN

19. + Acknowledgements This project is funded by the Sustainable Transport Office at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and the National Roads Authority.

20. + Questions?