Dublin

Liffey Cycle Route: Construction could start next year

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Quays Dublin

Construction on a “high quality” segregated two-way cycle route on Dublin’s quays could start next year. The cycle route is planned to link The Point in the east with Heuston Station and the Phoenix Park in the west.

After ‘key stakeholder’ consultation last week, the head of one of the city’s business groups called the latest outline designs “a well structured plan that will work for all”.

Richard Guiney, CEO of the Dublin City Business Improvement District, tweeted last week: “NTA & @DubCityCouncil plan for new cycle route from Heuston St to The Point is a well structured plan that will work for all.”

The plan is set to go out to full public consultation later this year, but the project will likely mainly depend on the approval of Dublin City councillors. While some suburban councillors may be resistant to the plans, the expansion of DublinBikes around Heuston will add to the focus on the need to make the quays safer for cyclists.

Our survey last year found that 66% of Dublin politicians support changing quays for a cycle route.

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Cyclists deaths on Irish roads at joint low in 2013

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3373537590_5cf7e9242fFive cyclists were killed on Irish roads in 2013, three less than the previous year and a joint 20-year low shared with 2010.

The decline is the opposite of the general trend, which includes overall road deaths rising from 160 to 189 deaths in the last year. The overall amount of deaths included 29 pedestrians, 27 motorcyclists, 95 motorists and 32 passengers of motorists.

Four out of five of the cyclists were killed on roads in rural areas, and three out of five died in the first three months of the year.

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Royal Canal Greenway design puts users at “increased risk”

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– Report says design likely to increase pedestrian and cyclist conflicts 

The current view of the M50 crossing (Image: Royal Canal Feasibility Report )
The current M50 crossing — pictured above — will be narrowed. (Image: Royal Canal Feasibility Report )

Transport minister Leo Varadkar says engineers assure him designs of a section of the Dublin to Galway cycle route are safe, despite a consultant’s report highlighting increased risk between cyclists and walkers.

“The designs are the responsibility of the engineers who assure me that the proposed routes adhere to safety standards,” said Minister Varadkar.

But safety problems with how the Royal Canal Greenway route crosses the M50 – linking Varadkar’s West Dublin constituency with Dublin City – were identified in a report by planning consultants Atkins.

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Cycling today in Ireland – highlights from Census 2011

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Cycling increased almost 10% nationally between the 2006 and 2011 censuses. From limited data available before last week, we previously reported there was a 26% increase in cycling in Dublin.

Last week the Central Statistics Office released its report on commuting which outlines a fuller picture and gives a breakdown of trends in the last three decades. Here’s some of the key bits on cycling from the census data and the report…

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