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Irish Road Safety Week 2025

Mike McKillen @mikemckillen.bsky.social · 2d

National #roadsafetyweek so one might expect messaging from RSA & @garda.ie to have some focus on driver behaviour with #ActiveTravel users, considering that 40 of us did not return home so far in 2025.
Today it's tyres. Seatbelts later. Child-seats soon.
#ZeroVision
tinyurl.com/4595hx8s

Opinion: Those outraged by a €100k bike shed should look at the annual cost of renting out car park spaces

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Mike McKillen @mikemckillen.bsky.social · 4d

Teachers & health care workers showing high rates of sickness leave.

Mike McKillen @mikemckillen.bsky.social · 4d

Where is public health? The data in the plot represents only those who were hospitalised as @hselive.bsky.social & CMO not interested in community prevalence, even though it remains a notifiable disease.
Besides Tess Finch-Lees why no health journos writing about it? #LongCOVID blighting lives.

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Mike McKillen @mikemckillen.bsky.social · 4d

We have been in a steadily increasing wave of #COVID19 over the summer/autumn months as reported by @hspc.bsky.social respiratorydisease-hpscireland.hub.arcgis.com/pages/covid-19
Chart covers 26 May - 22 September.
Lots of folks in my circle ill with it (66% knew someone who had it recently).

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Reposted by Mike McKillen

Irish Cycling Campaign @irishcyclingcmpn.bsky.social · 5d

'The real scandal here is not “bike shed groundhog day.” It’s the groundhog day of car dependency, subsidised at vast public expense, locking us into congestion, pollution, poor health and missed climate targets.'

Great piece from @ciarancannon.bsky.social

www.thejournal.ie/readme/bike-...

We have completely normalised investment in congestion, pollution and the continuation of car-first planning, writes Ciarán Cannon.

www.thejournal.ie

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Mike McKillen @mikemckillen.bsky.social · 5d

about risks and precautions – like ventilation, HEPA filters, masking, isolating and vaccination."
Where is our public health? Is it fit for purpose?

Mike McKillen @mikemckillen.bsky.social · 5d

with hand sanitiser and Calpol as their only protections against the dangerous airborne disease."
"The studies cited here advise policy makers to conduct research, provide paediatric long-Covid clinics (none exist in Ireland) and monitor and prevent infections in children by educating the public

Tess Finch-Lees: Forever-Covid hurts young people’s health – and their futures

Mike McKillen @mikemckillen.bsky.social · 5d

Just getting to read this report about #COVID19 in young people by Tess Finch-Lees in @independent.ie (25/09/25).
"Instead, children have returned again to overcrowded, under-ventilated classrooms amid yet another coronavirus wave,
www.independent.ie/opinion/comm...

Two years ago, I reported on a study finding that the coronavirus contributed to the 2022 surge of paediatric RSV cases “through the large build-up of Covid-19-infected children and the potential lon...

www.independent.ie

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Reposted by Mike McKillen

Irish Doctors for the Environment @irishdocsenv.bsky.social · 5d

The science is clear: a default 30km/h speed limit in all urban areas will save lives!

Any further delay in implementing this long overdue change is unforgivable.
#Love30

Campaigners heap pressure on government to rollout 30km speed limit

The Love30 campaign is stepping up the pressure - calling on the government to stop delaying and deliver a default 30km speed limit in towns and cities.

www.fm104.ie

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Reposted by Mike McKillen

Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 5d

In cities, street space is a really scarce (and under-valued) commodity. Increasing vehicle size costs everyone.

And vehicle weight determines your impact on the wear-and-tear of cities.

So this kind of public policy is really just common sense.

𝚃𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚜 𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚎 🚇 @taras-grescoe.com · 8d

On Sunday, #Zürich residents voted 52.8% in favor of increasing parking fees for cars according to weight.

The owner of a BMW X2 (Diesel), which weighs 1,675 kilograms, will now pay equivalent of €717 Euros per year to park on a public street. (Before, about €321.)

Direct democracy!

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Mike McKillen @mikemckillen.bsky.social · 5d

air quality safe.
Needless to say I was wearing a respirator throughout the flight (FFP2), but no one else was masked.
@ukhadds.bsky.social @nousaerons.bsky.social

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Mike McKillen @mikemckillen.bsky.social · 5d

The 2,700 ppm represents approximately 6% re-breathed air in the cabin.
In Irish health and safety law an employer has to ensure that the workplace air is safe according to statutory guidelines from our Health and Safety Authority: tinyurl.com/mtw9yksp
Airlines seem to be exempt from keeping cabin

The Code of Practice is implemented through S.I. No. 255/2023 - Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) (Amendment) Regulations 2023.

Mike McKillen @mikemckillen.bsky.social · 5d

in #ireland and worldwide.
High CO₂ concentrations indicate the extent of re-breathed air.
The plot below shows how the carbon dioxide concentration varied during the flight (3h:30 min), with a peak value of c. 2,700 ppm, and a steady-state of c. 1,600 ppm for most of the journey.

The Code of Practice is implemented through S.I. No. 255/2023 - Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) (Amendment) Regulations 2023.

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Mike McKillen @mikemckillen.bsky.social · 5d

cabin using an Aranet portable detector.
Carbon dioxide levels are an accepted proxy measure for air quality (akin to the canary in a coal mine). A concentration >1,000 ppm is a cause for concern, particularly when we are in a period of increased infection incidence caused by #SARSCoV2

The Code of Practice is implemented through S.I. No. 255/2023 - Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) (Amendment) Regulations 2023.

Mike McKillen @mikemckillen.bsky.social · 5d

I am concerned about the poor air quality apparent inside aeroplane cabins, which are after all workplaces (for cabin crew and pilots).
I was on a Ryanair flight ex-Bari (Puglia/Apulia) last Wednesday and as always, when I am on-board a plane, I monitor the carbon dioxide concentration in the

The Code of Practice is implemented through S.I. No. 255/2023 - Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) (Amendment) Regulations 2023.

Campaigners heap pressure on government to rollout 30km speed limit

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Reposted by Mike McKillen

JCFJustice @jcfjustice.bsky.social · 5d

www.fm104.ie/news/fm104-n...

This is not acceptable! Lives matter, safe journeys to schools and work matters.

The Love30 campaign is stepping up the pressure - calling on the government to stop delaying and deliver a default 30km speed limit in towns and cities.

www.fm104.ie

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Reposted by Mike McKillen

Dublin Cycling Campaign @dublincycling.bsky.social · 6d

Minister Canny’s U-turn on safer urban speeds risks lives and life-changing injuries. It cannot be let stand.

We were proud to visit the Dáil today at the invitation of Ciaran Ahern TD
to send the Minister our simple message: No delays. No excuses. Implement the law now.

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Mike McKillen @mikemckillen.bsky.social · 8d

There’s a parallel with Bertie sending out Dermot Aherne "I've looked up every tree in North Dublin", but found no evidence or wrong doing by Ray Burke. In these river cases you need to know what chemical agent to look for. I hope EPA & anglers have kept fish for considered analysis in future.