Councillors vote against South Dublin Quietway

— Fianna Fáil, Labour, Sinn Féin and independent councillors vote against walking and cycling route.

Dublin’s South East area councillors have voted against holding public consultation on the South Dublin Quietway at a local area meeting in the last few minutes.

Five voted in favour of the walking and cycling route, but eight voted against and one abstained. Because public consultation for the route was voted down, there’s no clear path for progress to be made on the route.

The route was proposed to run from Terenure to Ballsbridge mainly on residential streets. There was lobbying on both sides before the vote.

The main measures used in Quietways are traffic calming and bollards or planters to stop rat running motorists while allowing access for residents’ cars. Quietways only include small sections of cycle path usually where the routes intersect with larger roads to allow for safe crossing of such road.

A number of councillors speaking against the project today said they were pro-cycling but proceeded to voted against the route and others said the project did not include public consultation but then voted against public consultation.

The following councillors voted against the public consultation: Councillors Chris Andrews (Sinn Féin), Mannix Flynn (independent), Frank Kennedy (Fianna Fáil), Dermot Lacey (Labour), Sonya Stapleton, Mary Freehill (Labour), Ruairi McGinley (Independent) Claire O’Connor (Fianna Fáil).

While councillors Claire Byrne (Green Party), Paddy McCartan (Fine Gael), Patrick Costello (Green Party), Anne Feeney (Fine Gael), and Paddy Smyth (Fine Gael) voted to support public consultation.

Cllr Kieran Binchy (Fine Gael) abstained.

In the next day or so, IrishCycle.com will have a long report covering what the councillors said in detail.

IMAGE: The councillors with their hands raised voting for the route.

14 comments

  1. Unbelievable!…..Voting agianst a Consultation Process!….after much complaining about lack of consultation! But in this case money wins out! The aptly named Richview residents!!

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  2. It’s funny how so many pro-cycling politicians are in favor of cycling in general but are inevitably opposed to any specific proposals that might actually promote cycling.

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  3. Come election time next year let’s not forget the councillors voted against this going to public consultation. Who are they representing here today ?
    And they claim to be supporters of cycling. It doesn’t look that way at all. Returning these councillors to office may not be very wise if they cannot be counted on in future.

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  4. Labour and Sinn Fein, so called socialist parties. These councillors have no creibility. They are actively supporting narrow, specialist interst groups, to the detriment of wider society. They are anti-women, anti-children and anti-elderly. There must be a dozen schools on this route, where the children would get the oportunity to cycle to school, instead of being driven by their parents. Why do are councillors have such a low regard for their health? Don’y they understand, we need better choices in order to bring about change.

    Cian, when you have the voting lists, please publish here so we can call out the relevant councillors.

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  5. I’m not saying the AA, and Conor Faughnan, invented this, but claiming to be all in favour of cycling/public transport/pedestrian rights in general while being against every specific thing is straight out of their play book.

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  6. We are going through the same thing north of the river in Drumcondra. A well organised, well connected residents group from an affluent area (with an older age profile) are calling all the shots – and FF and SF in particular are bowing to them.
    There is a need for a cross city Liveable Dublin group – to speak for pedestrians & cyclists and to counter the power of these conservative NIMBY groups.

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  7. Folks we have entered an election year so all parties are discerning which way the wind is blowing in relation to local issues. Labour trying to recover from its poor performance so it won’t annoy middle-class voters by backing plans that upset it target constituency.

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  8. Very sad sad to see the Quite way being opposed. We all need to regress to cycling if only to bring down the obesity rates among our young.
    Look what the Greenway has for Dungarvan

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  9. @MamNotMum
    Unfortunately the same pattern of selfish behaviour, largely by a wealthy older generation is in evidence throughout the western world. The luckiest generation ever to have lived is often not the most considerate of the rest of us or of future generations.

    Reply

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