A new report out of Limerick, Ireland, has delivered yet another evidence-based rebuttal to one of the most common arguments levelled at bike lane projects: that they slow down or block emergency responders. As cities across North America hear these claims every time new cycling infrastructure is proposed, Limerick’s findings add to a growing international record showing that the fears simply don’t materialize.
Commissioned by Limerick City and County Council, the independent study—Integration of Active Travel Programme with Emergency Services—put the city’s network of protected bike lanes under a microscope. Engineers conducted design reviews, field analyses, traffic-flow assessments, and direct consultations with police, fire and rescue, marine search and rescue, and ambulance services.
The conclusion was unequivocal: the majority of Limerick’s protected cycle lane schemes “maintained or enhanced” access for emergency vehicles.
According to the report, designs that adhered to Ireland’s national street-design and cycling manuals “effectively facilitated the movement of emergency vehicles by ensuring adequate carriageway widths and junction radii.” In practice, that means modern protected lanes—designed with predictable layouts, clear sightlines, and reduced conflict points—actually help emergency vehicles navigate.
New Limerick study shows emergency vehicles not slowed as a result of bike lanes
These findings aren’t just a win for cycling advocates—they’re now being shared with Ireland’s National Transport Authority as guidance for future projects, and are expected to inform a broader, nationwide active travel review.
And while Ireland may be conducting one of the first assessments of its kind, this is hardly a new revelation to cities in the U.K., Canada, or the U.S. Opponents of cycling infrastructure have long raised alarms about narrowed roads and delayed response times, but real-world data has consistently shown otherwise.
In Toronto, for example, emergency services have repeatedly told city council that bike lanes pose no barrier to front-line responders. The city has even studied the issue on major corridors such as midtown Yonge Street and Bloor West. The findings? No meaningful delays—with fire services reporting “no degradation of response time” and paramedics confirming “no evidence of emergency response impacts.”
Just like Limerick, the data showed that overall response times within bike lane corridors performed as well as or better than citywide averages.
As more cities redesign their streets for safety and mobility, one pattern is becoming unmistakable: the perennial warnings about emergency vehicles stuck behind bike lanes aren’t supported by evidence. Limerick’s new study adds another strong data point to an already long list—showing that properly designed cycling infrastructure doesn’t just coexist with emergency services. It often improves the streets for everyone who uses them.