We previously wrote how Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council “Full segregation” claim was not matched by plans for Stillorgan Park Road upgrade, the council has now revised the plans.
The main differences are:
- More trees in green space
- Less shared space
- Entry points for cyclists realigned but narrowed
- Footpath added to west side of Patrician Villas (towards N11 underpass)
- Unusually wide cycle path at entrances
The updated drawing are on the council’s site here, and below is a little more detail and our view on the changes.
More trees in green space: This should not pose a problem for cyclists as long as maintenance is good.
Less shared space: This is a very welcomed move for cyclists and pedestrians. Although a large amount of shared space remains, the removal of shared use at bus stops which ahs resulted in clearly defined areas for all road users has to be strongly welcomed.
Entry points for cyclists realigned but narrowed: At t-junctions into housing estates access points with small ramps are used to allow cyclists to get on and off the cycle path opposite the estate entrance.
These access points have been realigned to correspond more to the estate entrances, which would be clearly a welcomed change if they were not also narrowed. Narrowing these access points is likely to increase the changes of a cyclist (stopped at access point) or a motorist (stopped or traveling in the traffic lanes) to block a cyclist from getting on or off the cycle path.
We previously questioned how effective this design will work at junctions not controlled by traffic lights and with a turning lane in the centre of the road — this was made worse by misalignment, now the problem could be width.
Footpath added to west side of Patrician Villas (towards N11 underpass): We are not sure if the extra footpath is needed, but it’s likely not going to impact on cycling.
Unusually wide cycle path at entrances: Just east of the roundabout, at two private entrances, there was a grass verge between the cycle path and the traffic lanes. The grass verge seems to be removed in the revised plans and replaced by a very wide cycle path. It’s strange to be giving out about a wide cycle path. But it makes the entrances less defined and encourage illegal parking on the cycle path.
We also noticed that — at least on Street View imagery from 2009 — one of these entrances are no longer in use:
