Dr. Lorraine D'Arcy:

Regarding Cork North-Central, the traditional neighbourhoods there really do provide more opportunities for filtered permeability in urban greenways. It is such a well-connected and permeable part of the city. I understand that there may be some reluctance to cycle because of the topography and the fact that there are some very steep places, but San Francisco has managed to run a very successful cycling programme where it has highlighted places for people to cycle, including relatively flat routes. It is about looking at what is there and how it can be best optimised. It is most important to link in with the traditional communities that are in the area. A great study was done by UCC a number of years ago, which looked at fear of violent crime. We focused on some of those north Cork city communities. Coming back to some of our gender work, there was a history of association with violent crime that had happened previously. The area had completely changed but people associated places with an event that happened because of the tradition of storytelling. It happens all over the country. This is where we need to engage with communities and find out where they feel safe, what they would like, what they can change and what can be done. There is a lot of potential in that area and in urban communities generally. Where the roads do not seem wide enough to put in a cycle lane or widened footpaths, it is where we should consider the filtered permeability and urban greenways.