COMMENT & ANALYSIS: This website reported on Tuesday how a southbound bypass of Luas tram tracks at College Green is now open for use — it would take take little extra to extend the route to Nassau Street.
A new contra-flow cycle lane on Church Lane and a crossing point of the tram tracks at Grafton Street would allow Dublin City Council to provide cycling access to Suffolk St and on to Nassau Street and beyond with reduced need for cycling along tram tracks with buses and trams.
For people cycling from College Street to Nassau Street, it would mean a bit of a longer route, but it would be only 100 metres sharing along tracks rather than the 340 odd metres it current takes:
Because buses are no longer using Suffolk St, there is now scope on Church Lane (main image and red line in the map above) for a segregated contra-flow cycle path.
The only other thing needed to make this work is a crossing at Grafton Street — but this could be linked in with the existing pedestrian crossing (middle right of image):
The contra-flow lane and crossing would make a number of different combinations of cycling links possable or easier and with reduced cycling on tram tracks:
It would not be an ideal routing if it was an ideal world, but — much like the southbound bypass of Luas at College Green — this should be attractive to people on bicycles who want to avoid the tram tracks as much as possable.
September subscription drive update: IrishCycle.com has reached its target of 270 subscribers by the end of August -- thank you to all who have helped! Our new target is to have 300 subscribers by the end of 2022 -- originally this was hoped to be exceeded by the first year of running the site full time (end of October), but this is unlikely and so the new target is the end of the year.
If you can help push IrishCycle.com above 300 subscribers, please subscribe today for €5 or more. If you have already done so -- thank you!
Please remember, every month there's a natural drop-off in subscriptions due to people getting new cards, cards stolen, Revolut not topped up etc.
***
IrishCycle.com is a reader-funded journalism publication. Effectively it's an online newspaper covering news and analyses of cycling and related issues, including cycle route designs, legal changes, and pollical and cultural issues.
There are examples, big and small, which show that the reader-funded or listener-funding model can work to support journalism -- from the Dublin Inquirer and The Guardian to many podcasts. To make it work for IrishCycle.com, it just needs enough people like you to believe!
Monthly subscriptions will give IrishCycle.com's journalism a dependable base of support. But please don't take free access for granted. Last year IrishCycle.com had an average of 15,800 readers per month and we know our readers include people who cycle and those who don't, politicians, officials and campaigners.
I know only a small percentage of readers will see the value of keeping this open enough to subscribe, that's the reality of the reader-funded model. But more support is needed to keep this show on the road.
The funding drive was started in November 2021 and, as of the start of June 2022, 250 readers have kindly become monthly subscribers -- thank you very much to all that have!
But currently, it's only around 1.6% of readers who subscribe. So, if you can, please join them and subscribe today via ko-fi.com/irishcycle/tiers
Cian Ginty
Editor, IrishCycle.com
Looks good to me.
Cian, good idea. Note: In the explaining text below the street image you have switched Suffolk Str and Grafton Street.
Looks good Cian. Not much of a detour when you see the map from above. It would be a great option for cyclists who want to avoid the tricky curve in the road in from of Trinity. This would also establish a cycle route to compliment the College Green Plaza.
Clear street signage and images/maps is a must to clearly explain what the options are. At the moment it’s all very daunting for people on bikes, especially for people who aren’t familiar with the area.
Btw, my comment above is directed at DCC.
Ciaran good work a reference the original design would not hurt!
https://www.celtcia.com/various-images/f4an9legax66lfqr4iky77srb6g325