Sign in

Colm Ó'Cathaláin

@colmocathalain.bsky.social
834 followers 248 following 81 posts

Cycling, urbanism, sustainability, gaeilge 🏳️‍🌈

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Colm Ó'Cathaláin
Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
“In London cyclists now outnumber cars in the City by 2 to 1. Paris, where they now outnumber motorists across the whole city, is catching up with Europe’s traditional bike capitals, Amsterdam & Copenhagen…In Copenhagen, bikes account for almost half of commuter trips to work/school.” @economist.com
economist.com
Forget EVs. Cycling is revolutionising transport
Pedal power is booming, spinning up a new culture war
9495159
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Well done Poland 👏👏
000
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I'm constantly surprised to see links to circumvent paywalls on this app. A robust press is more important now than ever, but it costs money!
000
Reposted by Colm Ó'Cathaláin
ryan cooper @ryanlcooper.com · 24/09/2026
"No one on Bluesky thinks they’re interacting with a cross section of the population. But a lot of people on X do think that." talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/we-di...
talkingpointsmemo.com
We Didn’t Know Until This Day … Twitter Was the Echo Chamber All Along
Daniel Drezner says we are now in the Wile E. Coyote phase...
15953132
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Sounds like it written by AI
000
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Yes. It's 3km now, although the application seems a bit uneven. I always just ask the driver for the short fare when getting on the bus (all my Dublin Bus journeys are less than 3km). As you can imagine I'm pretty unhappy about the 33% increase.
010
Reposted by Colm Ó'Cathaláin
Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
“Dutch people cycle an average of 2.6km each per day. If this pattern was replicated worldwide, annual carbon emissions would drop by 686 million tonnes. This mammoth figure exceeds the entire carbon footprint of most countries, including the UK, Canada, Saudi Arabia and Australia.” @euronews.com
euronews.com
Cycling like the Dutch would slash the world’s carbon footprint
If everybody cycled like the Dutch, we could offset the UK or Australia’s entire carbon footprint.
741776696
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
The one time I want people to move to the far right they won't do it. Give cyclists space!
000
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Great news!
010
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
www.rte.ie/news/ireland...
rte.ie
€1 invested in active travel returns €4 to economy - NTA
Every euro invested in active travel produces almost €4 in economic benefits, according to a report commissioned by the National Transport Authority.
000
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Hi-vis clothing for cyclists isn't an ultimate safety panacea. My close passes generally occur when a motorist clearly sees me but decides to endanger my life nonetheless.
020
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
"Yet the best thing to keep us safe will always be one another, collectivism over individualism. But here we are, driving around in Batmobiles, thinking ourselves heroes, blithely unaware we just might be the baddies." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
It’s the SUV tyranny: where have all the normal family cars gone? | Coco Khan
They rule the roads and, in their wake, even old-style saloons have been supersized. It’s an illusion of consumer choice, says writer and podcaster Coco Khan
000
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
More than 95 per cent of motorists using Chesterfield Avenue are breaking the speed limit. www.irishtimes.com/ireland/dubl...
irishtimes.com
Almost all Phoenix Park drivers break the speed limit. It’s a problem for visitors
Capital’s historic attraction is ‘a destination, not a through road’, officials say – though enforcement is difficult
000
Reposted by Colm Ó'Cathaláin
Cllr Emily Kerr 💚 @emilykerr36.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Reducing traffic reduces crime: see new study from Leeds. www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article...
leeds.ac.uk
Cutting traffic cuts vandalism, burglary and violence, research shows
Lowering traffic on urban streets can cut vandalism, burglary and violence, according to a significant new study by Leeds researchers.
214268
Reposted by Colm Ó'Cathaláin
David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
The rise of larger vehicles like SUVs and pickup trucks, with their taller hoods and larger blind zones, has contributed to a 75% increase in pedestrian and cyclist deaths since 2009. Until we design better streets and ban these vehicles, people outside these vehicles will keep dying.
nytimes.com
The Deadly Rise of Giant Trucks and S.U.V.s (Gift Article)
The vehicles on American roads have grown larger — and they are killing thousands more pedestrians, a Times investigation found.
4639991572
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Road space reallocation in Midleton, Co. Cork, Ireland: One signal controlled traffic lane and a shared cycle/footpath.
Underpass with one lane for motor traffic and a wide shared cycle footway.Traffic light before entering underpass containing one lane for motor traffic and a shared cycle footway. The motor traffic is separated from the path by a linear flower bed.
0150
Reposted by Colm Ó'Cathaláin
twunktrapped by a 👻 @twunktrap.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
"You’re going to get left behind if you don’t use AI.” Leave me then. Leave me with my critical thinking skills, my ability to read and write long-form, and books without needing AI summaries.
9837971117
Reposted by Colm Ó'Cathaláin
Philip O'Connor @philipoconnor.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
Social Democrats, the Greens and Labour got almost 40 percent of the vote in Dublin Central. Two racist gowls got just over 20 percent. Guess who you'll hear more about tomorrow? Guess whose votes the other dumbasses will go chasing? Give me strength.
211237
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
www.rte.ie/news/courts/...
rte.ie
Refusal to convict 34 drivers for speeding overturned
The High Court has overturned a District Court judge's refusal to convict 34 drivers for speeding offences after remarking that the use of Go Safe speed vans on a particular stretch of road was like "...
010
Reposted by Colm Ó'Cathaláin
Urban Truth Collective @urbantruth.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Paris urban biking investment helps cut pollution in half: “Between 2005 & 2024, levels of nitrogen dioxide & fine particulate matter — 2 of the most harmful pollutants to health — have been slashed by 50% & 55%, respectively.” Via @momentummag.bsky.social Bike-lanes make better cities. #UrbanTruth
Paris protected bike-lane filled with people riding bikes…
4259107
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
My planned cycling holiday in England this year is less appealing following the Reform surge.
000
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
It's not even as far back as our grandparents time. This has happened in half of one lifetime.
020
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Catering and fireworks were the main causes of air pollution. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Large-scale sporting events cause unexpected air pollution, study shows
Research conducted at 2022 Commonwealth Games found catering and fireworks were main causes of pollution
000
Reposted by Colm Ó'Cathaláin
Graeme 🦋 @fatherhilarious.blog · 17/04/2026
"Over an 18 year period, someone who cycles to work has nearly 50% less chance of dying from *anything* than someone who drives"... including being knocked off by a motorist (based on UK census data). Passive travel is bad for your life expectancy and pollution inside the car is worse than outside.
812333
Reposted by Colm Ó'Cathaláin
Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 13/04/2026
If the world had followed ambitious climate scenarios, global oil demand would be at least 20% lower than it is today - about the same volume of oil that flows through the Strait of Hormuz.
a chart showing various oil scenarios and actual oil demand aligning to the higher oil consumption ones
525487
Reposted by Colm Ó'Cathaláin
Chris Ingraham @cingraham.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
Current status of the Strait of Hormuz dispute
In Bruges scene where Colin Farrell is pointing a gun at his head and Brendon Gleeson is also pointing a gun at Colin Farrell's head
456322426455
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
Could we be looking at the future of protests in Ireland? "Politics would become more acrimonious, personalised, bitter, accusatory, populist and volatile." www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026...
irishtimes.com
Could we be looking at the future of protests in Ireland?
Every political problem faced by recent governments has been solved – to a greater or lesser extent – by finding money to throw at it. What happens if that dries up?
000
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
No parking
Vehicles parked in front of Dublin’s GPO with a stack of Garda 'No parking' traffic cones in the foreground.
000
Reposted by Colm Ó'Cathaláin
Wesley @wesgo.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
I'm sure the Gardaí are going to stand back for 5 days to allow this individual make their point and then have the Gov arrange meetings to better understand their demands.
313854
Reposted by Colm Ó'Cathaláin
Fintan Kelly @fintankelly.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Between 2020 and July 16, 2025, DAFM has been allocated a total of €366 million in carbon tax funding. This money has gone directly to farmers through ACRES agri-env schemes, helping to keep many small and marginal farms viable. www.agriland.ie/farming-news...
agriland.ie
021
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Blocking O'Connell Bridge almost exclusively impacts public transport.
030
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
"As the public gathering moved towards Dublin Port Tunnel this afternoon [04 Oct] a Garda cordon was established to prevent a protest blocking the Port Tunnel in order to maintain traffic movement through key infrastructure (Dublin Port Tunnel and the M50)."
000
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Thinking this evening about the Garda response to this protest versus the response to today's protests www.garda.ie/en/about-us/...
garda.ie
Public Disorder Incident, East Wall, Dublin 1, 4th October 2025
100
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Is a military coup possible in the USA? The political system seems incapable of removing him.
000
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Irish protests seem tone deaf considering what's happening globally.
Screenshot of Irish Times website juxtaposing live feeds about fuel protests in Dublin with Trump's threat that a whole civilisation will die tonight.
000
Reposted by Colm Ó'Cathaláin
Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
“Since cars have killed the city, we need faster cars to escape on superhighways to suburbs that are even farther away. What an impeccable circular argument: give us more cars so that we can escape the destruction caused by cars.” Written in 1973, when the destruction was just beginning.
unevenearth.org
The social ideology of the motorcar - Uneven Earth
by André Gorz The worst thing about cars is that they are like castles or villas by the sea: luxury goods invented for the exclusive pleasure of a very rich minority, and which in conception and natur...
5333109
Reposted by Colm Ó'Cathaláin
Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
“Compared with non-active travelers, the cyclists had a 19% lower risk of all-cause dementia, a 22% lower risk of Alzheimer's, a 40% lower risk of young-onset dementia (before the age of 65), and a 17% lower risk of late-onset dementia.” Getting around a bike more often could reduce dementia risk.
sciencealert.com
Cycling Linked to Lower Risk of Dementia, Study of Half a Million Finds
Getting from A to B on a bicycle more often could reduce risk of dementia, possibly by protecting a part of the brain tied to memory functions, new research finds.
21513204
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Is it possible that the pub installed that gate?
101
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Me in Spain: a cheerful ¡Adiós!
020
Reposted by Colm Ó'Cathaláin
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 17/03/2026
They said it would take 193 years to clean London’s air. We did it in nine. 💨 London has now met legal limits for nitrogen dioxide air pollution.
theguardian.com
London, San Francisco and Beijing achieve ‘remarkable reductions’ in air pollution
Cycle lanes, electric cars and other interventions have helped 19 global cities slash levels of pollutants by more than 20%
14478321924
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
The queue of helicopters taking people to the Galway races
251
Reposted by Colm Ó'Cathaláin
Rewild Scotland @rewildscotland.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Landscape ecological restoration. It can be done but we need to get a move on. This is Carrifran where the sheep were removed to allow this native woodland to take over.
13633192
Reposted by Colm Ó'Cathaláin
Peter Head @peterheadcbe.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Romania has decoupled economic growth from pollution faster than anywhere else in EU. Its net greenhouse gas emissions intensity fell 88% between 1990 & 2023, so each euro’s worth of economic activity heats planet 10 times less. Emissions have plunged by 75%. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘The trend is irreversible’: has Romania shattered the link between economic growth and high emissions?
Emissions have plunged 75% since communist times in the birthplace of big oil – but for some the transition has been brutal
10561831898
Reposted by Colm Ó'Cathaláin
Jacqui B @ashbycloudtrail.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
I wish we could have cycle paths like this between villages here in the UK. Often only a few miles away but only dangerous roads with no pavements between them. Villages have become islands of social isolation where teenagers can’t be independent and those that don’t drive are trapped.
1112748
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
Henry Ford, who perhaps did more than anyone else to inflict cars upon the world, had a private train carriage to travel in www.thehenryford.org/explore/blog....
thehenryford.org
Fair Lane: The Fords’ Private Railroad Car -- The Henry Ford Blog - Blog - The Henry Ford
Fair Lane, the private Pullman railroad car built for and used by Henry and Clara Ford, turns 100 years old in 2021. It provides a fascinating window into business and pleasure travel for the wealthy ...
020
Reposted by Colm Ó'Cathaláin
Anonymous @youranoncentral.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
“Greenland is not a product, it is a people.”
401772464
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Research shows that motorists break traffic laws a lot more oftten than cyclists www.bicycling.com/news/a464437...
bicycling.com
Science Proves Motorists Break Traffic Laws a LOT More Often Than Cyclists
The hypothesis that people riding bikes break the law constantly is flat out false.
010
Reposted by Colm Ó'Cathaláin
IrishCycle.com @irishcycle.com · 13/01/2026
Judge who said cyclists a “nightmare” pleaded guilty to failing to take breathalyser test A Dublin-based Circuit Court judge who said that "Cyclists have become a nightmare in Dublin" pleaded guilty in 2012 to failing to comply with a request by a garda to use a breathalyser in Connemara.…
irishcycle.com
Judge who said cyclists a “nightmare” pleaded guilty to failing to take breathalyser test
A Dublin-based Circuit Court judge who said that "Cyclists have become a nightmare in Dublin" pleaded guilty in 2012 to failing to comply with a request by a garda to use a breathalyser in Connemara. According to court reports yesterday, Judge O’Donohoe said in the Circuit Civil Court said: “You never know with cyclists what they are going to do or anticipate what they are going to do...
29857
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
I have no idea if the USA will invade Greenland or not, but even making credible threats to do so has fundamentally shifted their relationship with Europe.
020
Colm Ó'Cathaláin @colmocathalain.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
Cycled from Dublin city centre to Howth and back this afternoon. Wondering if it did me more harm than good given how poor the air quality was.
000