Liffey Cycle Route survey: Bulk of Cllrs want to keep it on the quays, but strong undecided element

A majority of councillors surveyed by IrishCycle.com on the Liffey Cycle Route want to keep the  route on the quays, but a number of indicators points to a strong undecided element among elected respenstives.

On the question of general support for the concept of the Liffey Cycle Route, 95.24% of responding councillors said they supported or strongly supported the route.

On the issue of keeping the cycle path section of the route on the quays councillors were asked: “For the section between Heuston station and the Four Courts, which of the following best describes your position on keeping the Liffey Cycle Route on the quays?”. On this, 57.15% of respondents said they supported or strongly supported this. while 38.1% said they were neutral or undecided (the option was ‘neutral’ but a large number used this to indicate ‘undecided’).

Just one councillor (4.78%) said they opposed keeping it on the quays, while another councillor indicated by email that they were unsupportive of the whole project.

The survey response rate equals 32.8% of councillors 21 of 64.

We surveyed councillors after a strong show of support from members of the public for keeping it on the quays — up to today, 1,319 people have signed a petition to keep the route on the quays.
As well as the 38.1% who said they were neutral or undecided, one non-councillor Labour Party source indicated that councillors have not had a full briefing on the issue, so they were reluctant to respond. By email Mary Freehill (Labour) said: “As a councillor, I represent cyclists, pedestrians, public transport users, people who are elderly and or mobility impaired, local residents and motorist. Therefore until all of the technical details are worked out I am not in a position to complete any survey.”

One of those who supported keeping it on the quays also indicated that this was qualified support. Dermot Lacey (Labour) said: “I have not been heavily involved in this issue but if possible I would like it kept on Quays… that is a qualified yes as I do not have all the facts. What I want primarily is a safe cycle route.”

Andrew Montague (Labour) said: “As a cyclist I would prefer to cycle along the quays. But the fact that there is planning permission for a new development along the proposed alternative route for the buses will make it more difficult to keep a dedicated cycle lane along the quays.”

Those who remained neutral or undecided on the issue included Ciarán Cuffe (Green Party), chairman of the council’s transport committee. He said: “The problem is that at Liam Mellows bridge where the road width reduces to around 10m. This allows space for footpaths, a two way bike lane, a bus lane, a car lane but not all four. If we divert buses or cars off the Quays there will be noise and pollution problems on Benburb Street. We may also have real difficulties if we divert buses back down Queen Street on to the Quays as the corner is very tight for them to turn left back onto the Quays.”

He added: “I’m also not convinced that extending the Croppies Acre park to the quayside is the best solution as it would mean building a new road alongside the Luas tracks. I’ve blogged about this previously. I’d be happy to meet up on site to have a look at the issue if you were free at some stage. It is a very thorny problem to solve and i would welcome any additional insights that you may have.”

Nial Ring (independent), who also said he was neutral or undecided on the quays issue, said: “I would hope that whatever route is proposed/chosen will be one that best caters for the needs of cyclists in terms of safety etc but also considers the needs of motorists. I will examine all options and make my decision based on facts presented but also taking account of the public views.”

OUTLINE OF QUESTIONS:

Dublin politicians: What’s your view of the Liffey Cycle Route plan?

The purpose of this survey is to confirm the views of politicians based in the Dublin City Council area to the latest plan for the Liffey Cycle Route.

The route — in planning since 2011 — is supposed to provide for safe and attractive cycling and walking between the Phoenix Park and the Point Village. It is aimed to be useful for residents, commuters, shoppers and tourists. Recently opened segregated cycle paths in London, which have on average increased cycling on those routes by 60%, show the potential of pent-up demand.

Dublin City Council’s transport department said recently that it wants to detour the Liffey Cycle Route off the quays and onto backstreets around Smithfield — the new plan goes against widely-publicised public consultation on the project and so-far nearly 1,200 people have signed a petition looking for the route to be saved and kept on the quays.

The unofficial Option 6 allows for keeping the cycle route on the quays and bringing buses back onto the qua

Q1: Please confirm your first and second name  (please do not include Cllr or other suffix)

Q2: What political party are you a member of?  (listed as per the city council’s website)

Q3: Generally, which of the following best describes your support for the overall Liffey Cycle Route project?

Options were:

• Strongly supportive
• Supportive
• Neutral
• Unsupportive
• Strongly unsupportive

Q4: For the section between Heuston station and the Four Courts, which of the following best describes your position on keeping the Liffey Cycle Route on the quays?

Options were:

• I strongly support keeping it on the quays
• I support keeping it on the quays
• I am neutral on the issue
• I oppose keeping it on the quays
• I strongly oppose keeping it on the quays

Q5: Please explain your position  (optional)

(blank field for comment)

RAW, UNEDITED RESPONSES: