I took this photo a few weeks ago on a Sunday evening in Dublin city centre.
These communal bins belong to a nearby apartment block, and someone has decided to block the majority of the cycle lane with them, forcing people on bikes out into the general traffic lane.
Before the cycle lane protection bollards were installed, it might have been trivial (if annoying) to swerve around these bins – but with the bollards in place, cyclist have to move outside of the bollards, placing them at greater conflict with other traffic.
I’m not sure exactly why these bins have been left out. Perhaps it’s because the refuse collectors have trouble getting access into the apartment block because of security gates. Or maybe it’s to minimise the amount of time that the bin lorry will have to stop in the street. Either way, the convenience of some people has been place ahead of the safety of others.
In this second photo, this employee of Leo Burdocks has parked blocking both the footpath and cycle lane, and on double yellow lines. There’s not enough room left inside the cycle lane, and so any passing cyclists have to ride on the outside of the bollards to get past.
There are other safer places to park, albeit further away from the restaurant. And so in this case again, the convenience of the delivery driver has been placed ahead of the safety of cyclists.
This quick-build cycling infrastructure is generally a good step forward in helping people feel safer when out on a bike, and helps us move towards cycling being an activity open to all ages and abilities.
However, the actions of individuals – coupled with a lack of enforcement – can quickly undermine the situation, and even make it more dangerous for cyclists than it was before.