My #LSMATS Observations Part 2: Here's a small sample of the promoted ads from my Facebook and Twitter over the past 2 weeks. Is travel by private vehicle so normalised, so ingrained, and made desirable that its almost impossible to imagine life without them? (1/8)

Audi goes futuristic with "Vorsprung durch Technik", BMW pitches itself as the car "you've dreamed of". Toyota's "built for a better world" is a better world for them, where car sales and return service continue a perpetual cycle (2/8) https://www.toyota.ie/world-of-toyota/articles-news-events/2016/built-for-a-better-world.json

Several prime time radio shows are now Sponsored by car manufacturers: Ray D'Arcy - volkswagen, Arena - Kia, traffic & travel - Hyundai, Radio 1 time checks - Toyota, The Last Word - Opel, The Hard Shoulder - Nissan (3/8)

Are we conditioned to expect that 1. Car ownership is normal 2. It is desirable 3. It is a marker of success/status and 4. (falsely) It is eco-friendly
Looking at #LSMATS these expectations seem to play out, especially with respect to cycling (4/8)

From reading through #LSMATS the assumption seems to be that car ownership will continue to be desirable & numbers set to increase - this is *apparently* not such a bad thing as cars move away from direct fossil fuel consumption (5/8)

Cycling is treated as a hobby - hence the focus on Green Ways. The hyper-concentration on school & 3rd level education routes although needed, emphasises the dearth of cycle route development to villages, residential areas, places of work, shopping & leisure (6/8)

Does this stem from an inherent belief that once students graduate they ditch the bike for the BMW of their dreams? Is that what we expect - learn to walk, cycle then drive? How can we cast aside these biases & expectations to develop a strategy that is truely ambitious? (7/8)

I'm hoping to address that in my next thread (8/8) @LimerickCycling @LimerickCouncil @LkCycleDesign @LimerickEnviron