Protected cycle path concept dropped in favor of painted cycle lanes on Amiens St to Clontarf route

— Route was to be continuously segregated
— New/revamped paths inside Fairview Park will mix walking and cycling
— Local objections to removal of footbridge
— Route is only planned city centre link to S2S Dublin Bay route

After long delays, a cycle route which was billed to be a high-quality continuously segregated route has been downgraded to include mainly painted cycle lanes with conflicts at bus stops, parking spaces and turns.

Dublin City Council has not responded to a number of requests from IrishCycle.com asking how and why the route went from segregated to mainly including cycle lanes. However, draft plans distributed by a local councillor, and published below out of public interest, shows how the route has been downgraded.

Independently of each other IrishCycle.com and cycling campaigners were told that the route would be segregated. There are some sections of segregated cycle paths but between these there are mainly unprotected cycle lanes on the busy streets and roads. Fairview mainly includes six lanes of traffic plus parking bays.

The route runs from Connolly Station at Amiens Street along North Strand Road, along Fairview Park, and into Clontarf. A few years ago it was ranked as the route which carried the most bicycles into the city centre, although last year it came second in that ranking as Rathmines took the first place.
Fairview

This route is now also the only planned route between the city centre and the Sutton to Sandycove route along Dublin Bay, this was after millions of euro which was earmarked for a key link in that strategic cycle route were suspended due to objections from councillors in 2011.

The main local concern seems to stem from the removal of a footbridge across a six lane road, the plan is to replace this with at-grade crossings. A public meeting on the issue was held last night by local councillor Jane Horgan-Jones.

Within Fairview Park the council also plans to mix walking and cycling on upgraded paths in the path and on a new cycling route between the Annesley Bridge and the Alfie Byrne Road. This planned mixing of cycling and walking is despite local councillors and TDs expressing on-going concern over conflicts between walking and cycling. 

More to follow.

MORE: clontarf_to_city_centre_cycle_route
MORE: clontarf_to_city_centre_cycle_route_-_plans
MORE: Fairview Meeting doc 1


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14 comments

  1. They cannot get anything right chopping and changing in favour of the Motorist. This route badly needs segregated infrastructure because of the huge volume of Cyclists and large amount of rush hour traffic. They took the easy way out and opted mostly for painted lines and shared use,more conflicts with pedestrians and also Buses.

    A big problem with Buses passing very close and also cutting Cyclists off at Bus stops all the way out to Clontarf. We had the fatality of the Cyclist being killed lately in a Hit and run at Howth Road junction that illustrates this.

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  2. I wonder how much money Dublin City Council has spent on installing 6 solar powered showers on Dollymount Beach. Two pilot showers have been in place for three years and have NEVER been used. So this year they installed 4 more! This money would have been much better spent on bike lanes and necessary road improvement. As a resul of DCC’s “interventions” on Bull Island, less and less people are using the beach meanwhile more and more people are using bicycles to get around the city. Where do DCC planners live? Not Dublin, obviously.

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  3. Brian,

    Yes – it would kill almost 60 mature trees! The solution is to reduce the individual widths of the (six) traffic lanes so as to accommodate a better wider cycleway – but, of course, we can’t upset motorists!

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  4. It’s an incredibly badly designed section of road that probably requires a complete overhaul instead of bits n pieces being added/taken away.

    Removing the footbridge is madness. Cyclists need safety but if a cycle path is inconvenient for them, there will always be people who will take their chances on the road.

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  5. As it is that Shared Cycle Path outside Fairview Pk is frustrating. You have Motorists constantly parking on the Pedestrian side of the Path and nothing is done about it.

    You have those playing Football in the Park parking on the Pedestrian side of the shared use path, then are are those who have businesses on the other side of the road plus the odd Truck Unit and Taxi. Then on Croke Park Match Days loads of cars parked on it.

    There is also Two Bus stop Shelters blocking the pedestrian side. This means you will have to contend with Pedestrians who have no choice but to walk on the Cycling part and also you will have to watch out for opening doors on part of it.They need to prune the bottom of Trees at one end and I always have to bend my Head.

    As Brian says unfortunately they need to remove those Trees to push back the Cycle Lane and grow new ones. Also they could remove two of those six Lanes.

    Another problem is the Cycle Lane going up the Hill outside the old Strand Cinema which is now Apartments and Shops. Cars and Vans are now constantly parked on this Cycle Lane mostly blocking it. It was handy at rush hour, it got you away from Buses and cars going up the Hill into Town but I never use this because of the cars parked on it.

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  6. I’ve sent emails to all three Clontarf councillors.Sean Haughey has already replied stressing that the plan is still only at first draft and no decisions have been made.Now this could be typical Politico doublespeak, but he’s sent me a copy of the draft. I can send it on and maybe you could post it on the site?

    Reply
  7. does 3 new pedestrian crosses not fairly replace a bridge surely overall traffic speed will be reduced, atleast one of them has isalnd in the middle, wish we had clearer drawings of those and the cyclepaths

    Reply

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