Luas and cycling issues shouldn’t be a bolt out of the blue

COMMENT & ANALYSIS: Using a Freedom of Information request, The Irish Times obtained a draft National Transport Authority (NTA) report on the impact of Luas Cross City on cycling, it’s worth reading the article on irishtimes.com.

Basally the NTA report seems to outline some of the same points mentioned in our 2012 article: What does Luas Broombridge mean for cyclists? (Published when this site was still called Cycling in Dublin).

In the first half of 2016 we followed up highlighting how there’s few signs of cycling-friendly measures for Luas Cross City as many restrictions will apply. After that we used FOI to get the details of the design of Parnell Street where priority is given to providing lanes for cars while cycle lanes are removed and at St Stephens Green where there will be contra-flow but it won’t go the full way.

The Irish Times reports that he NTA report is dated March 10th (of this year) and that it’s only a draft… why has it taken so long to get to this stage and when can we expect action? Cycling and tram tracks mixed with normal traffic and without probably designed space for cycling isn’t a great idea. As Edinburgh has shown, it can result in not just injury — which there are already a mounting number of reports in Dublin — but also death.

More needs to be done to make cycling more attractive in the core area of Dublin city centre — the problems with cycling around the tracks of the Luas Cross City project is just another reason to speed up progress to make cycling in Dublin safe and attractive.


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2 comments

  1. I attended the Forum on the Clontarf to Amiens Street new Cycle Route in Charleville Mall Library on the 20 of June last and told them what I thought of their plans. Then as an aside I mentioned O.Connell Street from Abby Street to the Spire where it narrows dangerously . I said there is not much space between the Kerb and the Tram Tracks. There is a strong conflict between Buses and Cyclists between Abby St and the Spire. The City Council put in terribly wide Paths especially at the GPO. Could it be possible to put in a segregated Cycle Path between Abby Street and Henry Street where the road narrows. If a Bus squeezes past a Cyclist the Cyclist can wobble with the fright of a Bus passing so close that they can fall off their Bikes into the Bus.

    If a Tram is passing at the same time as the Bus . The Bus will steer closer to the Path to be in comfortable position away from the Tram and will be closer to Cyclists. So there is a need for a segregated Cycle Path between Abby St and Henry St,

    Reply
  2. I have the response from Minister for Health Simon Harris to Deputy Tommy Broughan’s PQ seeking data on the injuries to cyclists from construction of LuasXCity.
    It should be up on KildareStreet.com as PQ No. 264 with reply on 12 Jul.
    The Minister has no data on injuries.
    Does any Minister care about cyclists’ safety?

    Reply

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