Mixed reaction to street closure for Bike Week 2019 in Limerick

THERE has been mixed reaction to the closing of a section of O’Connell Street at the weekend to facilitate Bike Week 2019.

While there was big interest in the street velodrome on Saturday, the decision to locate it in the city centre has attracted criticism on social media with many suggesting a location such as Arthurs Quay Park would have been more suitable.

The velodrome, which is operated by UK company Cube Management, was one the main attractions of Bike Week on Saturday afternoon.

"What we discovered during London 2012 (Olympic games) is that track cycling, velodrome racing really appeal to the broader audience - the non-cycling audience. They just get in instantly, so what we did is we melted that down literally and we bring it to them and they can come and get a sense of the drama and the excitement of track racing," said Carl Thompson, director of Cube Management.

The street velodrome, which was in Limerick for the first time at the weekend,  will tour other parts of the country during Bike Week including Kilkenny, Dublin and Tipperary.

UL lecturer, Dr Anne Marie Ryan, was not impressed with what was on offer.

”I'm a regular cyclist and that event did nothing to encourage people to use their bikes in the city. People were staying on the footpaths and the road empty. Not very well attended. The inauthenticity was glaring. For once I agree with the naysayers. 'Twas far from #CarFreeDay,” she said in a post on social media.

Thread: I think it’s more than fair to say that @bikeweekie has been an unmitigated disaster in #Limerick City this year.

Let’s not dwell in despair, instead let’s look at what can be done to make it an actual event next year.

Here’s my suggestions:

(Photo by @AnneCronin5 ) pic.twitter.com/xyFX7tDbQo

— Dave Tobin (@davidtobin100) June 22, 2019

While some have questioned the organisation of the event, those who attended were impressed.

"It was brilliant, great fun. It's great to promote the cycling and to the outdoors. It's great for Limerick city centre we've - never had a velodrome before - it's a great idea," said Kieran Scullane from Ballina who raced with his son Jack.

"I thought it was deadly - it was really with fast bends and I nearly crashed," said 23-year-old Jack Farrell from Carlow who was visiting Limerick for the weekend.

Bike week runs until Sunday next, June 30 with a number of events taking place across the city and county.

See www.bikeweek.ie for more details.