
The cost of housing is so high these days that ownership is prohibitive to many, if not most in the next generation. Meanwhile, rental housing costs can drive you into poverty, while homelessness is, as always, shunned and scorned.
And what of transportation costs which, if jobs are on the line, can be an integral cost of economic survival? A recent report from Ireland offers an evaluation, with some slightly surprising results. (Needless to say, car ownership is not part of this picture. If you have to ask how expensive it is, you surely can’t afford it!)
The report discusses the impact of the pandemic on two of the most popular alternate forms of transport in Dublin, both of which will get you there and have the bonus of helping keep you fit.
For all the hype about cycling, it is walking that has been very much on the increase in Ireland. Somewhat astonishingly, cycling has suffered a downturn.
What? All those bike lanes carving up the city pavement? Are they not to be the great future after all? Could there be a safer life for beleaguered pedestrians now required to cross the road by looking, not just left and right, but every which way, only to be knocked down by cyclists on the sidewalk?
The following report, however, counsels us not to read too much into the statistics due to the strange COVID times we have been inhabiting.The report offers further interesting tidbits on the wants of Dubliners travelling on tight budgets, in particular a strong desire for the ’20-minute’ neighbourhood.
Read more at TheMAYOR.eu: During the pandemic, more Dubliners started walking rather than cycling