1,000 signatures reached
To: Irish Ferries CEO, CEOs of other Irish Sea ferry companies, National Transport Authority
Ferries: stop discrimination against cyclists and foot passengers
Stop discrimination against cyclists and foot passengers: All passenger ferry services which take motorised vehicles and motor cycles should also allow non-motorised cyclists and foot passengers.
Why is this important?
Flying has hugely damaging carbon impacts, and to travel overseas from Ireland, the only lower-carbon option is to take a ferry. Travelling by ferry as a foot passenger or cyclist is lower carbon than taking a motorised vehicle on the ferry. However, the ferry companies which provide services from Ireland to overseas prioritise passengers with motorised vehicles, and in many cases refuse services to cyclists and foot passengers. I have heard many stories from friends who can't get a ferry on a particular route or at a particular time simply because they are travelling without a motorised vehicle instead of with one. I experienced this myself recently on the Irish Ferries Pembroke-Rosslare route, when I decided to pay for a motorcycle ticket with the intention of cycling onto the ferry with my bicycle instead of a motor cycle, but was refused entry to the ferry, and forced to take a much longer and more complicated journey home. See:
- https://cyclist.ie/2024/02/inexplicable-bikes-not-on-ferries-policy-highlighted/ (article on Irish Cycling Campaign website)
- https://bit.ly/3OWaPCG (my video blog folder about this trip)
Other cyclists have also documented their experiences as cyclists crossing the sea to and from Ireland, highlighting ferry companies' nonsensical policies on cyclists. https://philsturgeon.com/bikes-on-ferries/ - documents the nonsensical reasons given for refusal to take cyclists (P&O Ferries). I have heard from families who have been forced to pay a higher price for traveling without a car than than they would if they traveled with a car (Brittany Ferries).
This petition:
- calls on ferry companies operating from Ireland to provide services to cyclists and foot passengers on every ferry service on which they provide services to motorised cars and motorcycles.
- calls on the National Transport Authority to make passenger ferry licenses conditional on non-discrimination against cyclists and foot passengers
Please sign and share this petition. Thank you, Elaine Baker, cycling campaigner and environmental activist ( @ElaineActivism on twitter and mastodon, member of Irish Cycling Campaign http://cyclist.ie ).