Councillors in cycling study trip to the Netherlands
The three-day trip saw the Sligo group visiting the eastern city of Nijmegen, along with a number of small towns in its rural hinterland.
County Council delegation included Councillor Thomas Walsh (FG), Councillor Marie Casserly (IND) and Councillor Dara Mulvey (FG), as well as Sligo County Council officials responsible for the implementation of Active Travel infrastructure.
The council says that as it continues to advance ambitious designs for promoting cycling outlined in the Sligo Local Transport Plan 2024-2030, it is keen to learn from successfully delivered initiatives to ensure the plan's successful implementation in Sligo.
Speaking about the trip, Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council Cllr. Declan Bree said: 'It presented a fantastic opportunity to learn from well-established Dutch cycling practices in terms of expertise, technology and infrastructure, with a view to informing the active travel plans which will be coming on stream in Sligo over the coming months and years.'
The cycling study trip was organised by the Dutch Cycling Embassy, and the university city of Nijmegen and its surroundings were chosen in part because of their relevance to Sligo, where ATU Sligo is now the educational home to almost 10,000 students.
In Nijmegen, 45% of journeys are now made by bicycle, and this has been a crucial part of meeting the transportation needs of the whole community, including its many third-level students.
The Dutch Ambassador to Ireland Maaike van Koldam said that Nijmegen's cycling paths formed part of the 35,000km of dedicated cycling paths which Dutch cyclists are now availing of nationwide.
'Cycling has been a crucial part of creating a greener, cleaner and safer transportation system for everyone in the Netherlands.
'It is wonderful to see Sligo County Council travelling to Nijmegen to learn more about infrastructure design, how to promote cycling among college students and how to operate safe routes to school, and how to avail of new technologies and develop Smart Mobility.
'As local and national bodies work to accelerate the green transition, deepening Dutch-Irish links and expanding knowledge sharing can be a win-win for all parties,' Ambassador van Koldam said.
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