Move towards cycling helps Dublin claim Lonely Planet top 'global cities' ranking

*Lonely Planet has mentioned the shift towards cycling in Dublin among its many reasons for ranking the Irish capital among the best cities in the world to visit next year*

A recent shift towards cycling has been cited by Lonely Planet as one of the reasons Dublin is among the ten best cities in the world to visit next year.

The travel company has ranked the Irish capital as the 7th most attractive city to visit in 2022. And while the shift towards cycling in the city is just one of the many reasons Dublin is seen as so attractive, it is mentioned by Lonely Planet.

That may come as a surprise to many cyclists who take their bikes into city traffic every day, even though things are (very gradually) getting better for cycling in Dublin.

Lonely Planet's ‘Best in Travel 2022’ judges appear to have been impressed with the efforts made in Dublin during the lock-down, including the move towards better cycling resources and the reclaiming of car park spaces for outdoor dining.

The judges believe these changes were responsible for “creating a wonderful village-like feel in parts of the capital”, even though some progress is not set to last.

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For example, while restrictions on vehicles in Phoenix Park were implemented during the lock-down so the park could be better utilised for recreation, many of those changes have been rowed back on.

Lonely Planet's praise for the way Dublin had promoted cycling and replaced car park spaces with outdoor dining also came on the same day Dublin City Council confirmed some changes in the Capel St and Parliament St areas would not be permanent.

Cars were banned on both streets from 6.30pm to 11.30pm during the summer and 79 per cent of 7,000 people who responded to a public survey said Capel St should be fully pedestrianised on a permanent basis.

However, while Dublin City Council noted the "strong desire" from the public for a ban on vehicles on the street, it said such a ban would not take place this year.

Lonely Planet also says Dublin has become more diverse, giving it a more cosmopolitan feel than before.

"A youthful, highly educated population and accompanying social scene, added to a healthy influx of non-nationals drawn to one of Europe’s tech hubs, go some way to explaining Dublin’s contemporary liberal dynamism,” Best in Travel 2022 says.