Alternative design for Kilmainham Civic Space with space for cycling possible

COMMENT & ANALYSIS: Recently we detailed issues around the lack of dedicated and protected space for cycling on the planned Kilmainham Civic Space scheme (see here and here), and cycling looked to be an afterthought on this project. But things could be still changed.

The above image shows three possible locations for two-way cycle path and mix of those for two protected one-way paths:

1. RED: A two-way cycle path located on the south of the current roadway
2. YELLOW: A two-way cycle path along the current two-way cycle lane
3. BLUE: A two-way cycle path  along the current large north side footpath area
4. RED: With flow one-way | BLUE: Contra-flow one-way

All options work around the current trees along the street. Each has some drawbacks and positives, but a balance must be struck which is better than what’s already planned. Here’s the current plan:

Space for cycling is possible, below is our (very rough Photoshoped)  suggestion of one possible alternative — click on the image for a larger view or scroll down to use the sliders to compare the current plan and our suggestion:

Below is a bit of alternative detail (again with a rough drawing), which widens the footpath space on the south side of the street in one larger block:

Left: Dublin City planned | Right: IrishCycle.com suggestion:

[image-comparator left=”http://irishcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Kilmainham-Layout-planned-A.jpg” right=”http://irishcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Kilmainham-Layout-suggested-A.jpg” width=”100%” classes=”hover”][/image-comparator]

Left: Dublin City planned | Right: IrishCycle.com suggestion:

[image-comparator left=”http://irishcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Kilmainham-Layout-planned-B.jpg” right=”http://irishcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Kilmainham-Layout-suggested-B.jpg” width=”100%” classes=”hover”][/image-comparator]

Images: Dublin City Council planning files / and IrishCycle.com modified versions, as noted.