Thread: There& #39;ll be lots of opposition and legit questions about plans to ramp up Dublin city& #39;s cycling and walking rapidly.

But the key question: what& #39;s the alternative? Here& #39;s the context we face... (1/9)

On a given workday in 2019, to cross the canals into the city:
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🚌" title="Bus" aria-label="Emoji: Bus"> 113k people used public transport
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🚗" title="Automobile" aria-label="Emoji: Automobile"> 58k drove in with cars
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🚶‍♀️" title="Woman walking" aria-label="Emoji: Woman walking"> 25k walked
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🚴‍♀️" title="Woman biking" aria-label="Emoji: Woman biking">13k cycled

Forget for a moment the 120k who live within the canals (and we shouldn& #39;t, really): just focus on those coming in. (2/9)

With social distancing and other changes, public transport is facing an 80% capacity reduction. Do nothing, and there are potentially 80k+ people who need to get into the city. (3/9)

Even if you decrease that amount massively as folks work from home - how do we bridge that gap? Cars take up too much road space and it& #39;s congested enough, even with 70% of commutes made by other means. (4/9)

We can& #39;t pave over the Liffey. We can& #39;t knock the city and start from scratch to build a motorway. (And we shouldn& #39;t.) Forget climate, air quality, noise, and all that Green stuff: the roads simply do not have enough space or capacity to replace public transport with cars. (5/9)

So how do we move people? We encourage walking, we make it easier, safer and more pleasant. We do the same for cycling. And that& #39;s what these proposals are about. (We& #39;ll need to do more!) (6/9)

Cycling isn& #39;t for you? I get that. But I& #39;d encourage you to give it a shot, if you& #39;re physically in a position to. After a week or two, I& #39;d be amazed if you don& #39;t become a raving cycling loon on Twitter like the rest of us. (7/9)

Because not only is it close to free, sustainable, healthy and often quicker: it& #39;s actually fun. Especially once it& #39;s made safer. That& #39;s why for most people who cycle, they& #39;ve asked *missed* their commute during COVID-19. (8/9) https://twitter.com/fietsprofessor/status/1258304518225264641">https://twitter.com/fietsprof...

Anyway. Key point: if you& #39;re against changes to reduce car space to improve walking and cycling , and you accept that public transport capacity is slashed: what& #39;s the alternative? (9/9)