Trialing Liffey Cycle Route discussed briefly at city council meeting

A discussion on trialing the Liffey Cycle Route happened moments ago at Dublin City Council’s monthly council meeting — councillors who spoke mostly spoke in favourable terms about trialing the project but a response from city officials was not given as the meeting ran out of time. The discussion will continue at the next meeting.

The LiffeyCycle.com petition — which currently stands at nearly 3,800 signees — seems for a trial a cycle path on Dublin’s quays in 2020, and then look to build a wider quick-build cycle network.

The petition is supported by local cycling campaign groups I Bike Dublin and the Dublin Cycling Campaign, the national umbrella cycling campaign group Cyclist.ie, transport user group the Dublin Commuter Coalition, and this website, IrishCycle.com.

The move to call for a trial the of the route in 2020 follows a further delay in the project, as reported late last year by The Times. A council document indicated that the route will now not open until 2024 at the earliest. Pre-planning work on the route originally started in 2011 and the city development plan had promised that there would be a continuous and segregated cycle route be built by 2017.

The petition seeks a previous version of the Liffey plan of a continuous two-way cycle path on the north quays to be at least trialed for 8-12 months, and for authorities to then ask if people want to go back to the way things are now.

At the meeting tonight, councillors voted in favor of discussing the issue.

Cllr Mary Fitzpatrick (FF) asked the city manager’s advice on the trial, how it would be implemented, how much would it cost and what impacts would it have.

Cllr Neasa Hourigan (Green Party) said that the route needs to happen now and Dublin City BETA would be best place.

Cllr Nial Ring (independent) said that he is pro-motorists and known for being such, but that he did not like discussing the issue at the end of the council meeting with a very short time left.

Cllr Ray Mc Adam (FG) said that he just wanted a commitment for an interim route.

Cllr Joe Costello (Labour) read out the written reply from officials (as below) and said that he is fully in favour that the council would trial the route. He questioned exactly what the city manager’s written reply to questions meant especially given the reference to funding.

Cllr Janice Boylan (SF) said that the route should be advanced but highlighted that there has been issues with the route to date.

Cllr Gary Gannon (Social Democrats) said that people cycling down the quays are taking their lives in their hands and that there will be accidents between now and the delay and that he would like to hear a response from the city manager and would cede his time, but the discussion ran out of time and will be continued at the next council meeting.

Separately, in a written reply to questions posed by councillors, the city’s chief executive, Owen Keegan, said: “Following representations from a number of city councillors, the Environment and Transportation Department shall prepare a report on the feasibility of introducing an interim cycle route along the Liffey quays prior to the full scheme being delivered. It is envisaged that this report will be presented to the Area Committees and City Council in Q2 2020. The implementation of an interim scheme would be subject to availability of resources.”


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2 comments

  1. Given your ability to criticise me ( often wrongly) disappointed to see you make no reference to fact that I tabled question on the issue urging a trialing of the scheme

    Reply
  2. Hello Dermot — thanks for asking the question and credit where it’s due, but you’re referenced in the tweet embedded above by a fellow councillors who had to have two tries before still leaving our one of the councillors who also asked a question about the route, and I think I also retweeted one of your tweets saying you were going to ask a question.

    Great to see you’re supporting the trial — thanks.

    Reply

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