Promoters could be forced to provide secure bike parking at Dublin gigs
Concert promoters could be compelled to provide bike parking for at least 2% of total tickets sold at events.
Social Democrats Councillor Karl Stanley tabled a motion calling on Dublin City Council to amend the licensing condition of concerts in its parks. He spoke at the North Central Area Committee meeting yesterday about the lack of good quality bike parking for concerts at places like Fairview Park and St Anne’s Park.
“I’m sure a few of us were at David Byrne last week and it’s a testament to the man and his artistry that I was able to stand in the lashing rain for two hours because it was the wettest thing I’ve ever been at,” Cllr Stanley joked about the notoriously rainy concert.
“I cycled to that gig and same as in previous years - same as it ever was as Talking Heads might put it - I got there and there was nowhere to park my bike.”
Cllr Stanley described the situation as “a bit of a free for all” with hundreds of people struggling to find an appropriate place to leave their bicycles. Now, he’s calling for concert promoters, as a condition of their license, to provide bike parking that is “well signposted, well-lit, located close to the concert entrance, free to use and supervised by event security”.
“The number of parking stands required to comply with the license will be set at 2% of the total number of tickets on sale (i.e. a 20,000 person event at St Anne's Park should have 400 bike parking spaces),” his motion outlined.
Cllr Stanley said Bord Bia and the Irish Cycling Campaign at Bloom in the Phoenix Park utilised a similar scheme which could be used as a model for what “good quality bike parking” looks like at large events. Not only would this idea benefit cyclists, but he believes the ripple effects would elevate congestion for everyone vacating large-scale outdoor events.
“It’s of huge benefit to the neighbourhood as well because the people who get out of the concerts quickest at the end of the evening are the people on bikes. If we can facilitate more people to cycle, the concert locations will clear faster as well,” he said.
“There’s a benefit to the local area and cyclists. It should be a low cost thing to do, and will enhance the experience.” Cllr Stanley said there are already plans for a bike lane at the front of St Anne’s Park and said they should pair good infrastructure with making it easier for people to travel to shows via bike.
The response from Dublin City Council expressed safety concerns for cyclists leaving large-scale events, as significant crowds and dark evenings means increased cyclists could also lead to increased accidents. However, Senior Executive Parks Superintendent Fergus O'Carroll said there is a plan to explore bike parking options as part of licensing discussions for next year.
“Bloom is a very different type of event as compared to an Outdoor Concert having regard to demographic, event location, finishing times and a significantly lower level of consumption of alcohol. The event is spread over long days and not everyone exits the venue at the same time," the council response stated.
"Concerns do exist around the mixing of bicycles, the large crowds exiting concert venues and the consumption of alcohol. These issues can be overcome to a degree with proper planning, however the risks for outdoor concerts that finish late at night in the dark are not insignificant.”
Social Democrats Cllr Paddy Monahan described the council’s response as “a bit paternalistic and short sighted”. He said public transport options after Dublin concerts are often "disastrous" and spoke about parents who went to see CMAT with their adult children and were able to arrive back at their midlands home before their kids could even get to Dublin's Southside.
“Cycling is not the only option, but it is a sensible option,” he said, stating it may be dark “but bikes do have lights”. He called on the council to “trust adults to act responsibly" and said “cycling is the low hanging fruit” for criticism.
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