Lecture: Cycling in Cities. Monday June 20th

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'Cycling in cities - Are we really serious?' Edmund Burke Theatre, Trinity College Dublin, June 20th, 7.00pm


"Are we yet taking cycling seriously enough? This is no longer a topic which requires more evidence on the benefits to society of cycling - We have ample evidence, but this is not the stumbling block to getting more people cycling. The real problem is long-term commitment and political will to create an integrated transport strategy."



So states Phillip Darnton, OBE, ahead of travelling to Dublin to deliver the 2011 Annual Cycling Lecture entitled 'Cycling in cities - Are we really serious?' Phillip is currently Director of the UK Bicycle Association and was Chairman of Cycling England, the independent expert body on cycling promotion, from 2005 until March 2011. Phillip is a terrific public speaker and advocate of cycling - and this event is not to be missed.

I follow David Byrne's (former Talking Heads front man) blog, and cycling in cities is something he's passionate about. His book, Bicycle Diaries, is worth a look.

From a recent blog post ..

My presentation evolved to be a kind of background and introduction to the subject. I’d show early 20th century ideas about what our cities could be—utopian or dystopian visions, depending on your point of view—which, coincidentally, were not heavily influenced by car and oil companies. There is a way to accommodate the automobile into our lives, but I think that in the 20th century, the scales tipped rather heavily to accommodate the car at the expense of almost everything else. The question then becomes how can we make our cities more livable again, without denying the occasional value of the infernal combustion engine or other forms or private motorized travel. How do we tip the scales towards cities that are more people-centric, more enjoyable, more sustainable and easier on the eye?

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