Liffey Cycle Route: Councillors press ahead with non-continuous interim proposals

— Proposals include large missing sections where people mix with buses and taxis in bus lanes, conflicts with buses at bus stops, narrow sections with cycle tracks just 1-1.5 metres, and no protection outlined at junctions.

Dublin City councillors agreed to press ahead with a proposal for a non-continuous interim cycle route on Dublin’s quays.

The agreement at the monthly Dublin City Council meeting tonight will be followed by a special city transport committee meeting to discuss the issues of the route. The proposals will then likely proceed to public consultation under the Road Traffic Acts before being built later this year.

The Liffey Cycle Route has been in pre-planning since 2011. After further delay was reported last last year, IrishCycle.com set up the LiffeyCycle.com petition calling for a trial of a continuous two-way cycle route along the north quays.

Last month at Dublin City Council’s monthly meeting councillors debated the idea of a trial. At the end of the discussion, Brendan O’Brien, Dublin City Council’s executive manager for its transport section, said: “The actual width at certain sections of the Liffey Cycle Route forces us to make a difficult choice, so, we can trial a Liffey Cycle Route this summer from end-to-end as long as the members here agree to ban cars off the quays.”

But, a report presented to councillors ahead of the monthly meeting tonight, outlined a proposals for a non-continuous cycle route, while the route for motorists would continue to be continuous all the way along the quays.

Local campaign groups Dublin Cycling Campaign and I Bike Dublin both supported the petition, but also supported the non-continuous interim scheme. IrishCycle.com does not support the interim scheme.

Tonight, Cllr Joe Costello (Labour) said that there is wider support for the Liffey Cycle Route but the question is if this is adequate. He said he has had concerns from people with divisibility that it might be dangerous.

Cllr Ray Mc Adam (FG) said that he wanted the council’s proposals to go ahead with a transport committee meeting to look at the details and the concerns about it.

Cllr Janet Horner (Green) said that the route needs to be warmly welcomed and the detailed to be looked at.

Cllr Christy Burke (Ind) said that he thought the plan was to send the transport committee and after that for the full council to vote on it.

Brendan O’Brien, the head of the city council, said that the council now do not think it is viable to remove cars from the quays. He said that the measures were temporary measures and said that it would provide enhanced safety for cyclists and add to bus priority.

O’Brien said that the time line in the report on the proposals — which mentions “completion of the possible sections by August 2020” — depends on how quickly that councillors discuss the issues at a special transport committee meeting.

Cllr Cat O’Driscoll said that the the scheme is a safe one and that it must measure the effects on air quality.

Cllr Tina MacVeigh (PBPA) said that all groups need to be involved in looking at the details, not just those supporting it.

Cllr Naoise O’Muiri (FG) welcomed the proposals and he welcomed the speed of the proposals in contrast in with the delays with the Clontarf route.

Cllr Lawrence Hemmings (Green) said that the quays are currently a very, very unsafe place to cycle.

Cllr Donna Cooney (Green) said it is not perfect but worth trialling and that trialling was something learnt from the Velo-city conference which Dublin hosted last year.

VIDEO: Monthly council meeting item on Liffey Cycle Route.

ALSO READ:

Liffey Cycle Route: Here’s what’s planned on Dublin’s quays


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1 comment

  1. Any chance we could have an end to the test to see if taxis should be allowed to use buslanes. It is now obvious that it is not safe and should be terminated immediately. Cars of any sort should not be mixed with cycles in cycle/buslanes. Only taxis with a fare were to be allowed in the lanes, this has been totally ignored. The urge to get back to the rank and pick up a new fare incentivizes speeding in buslanes.

    Reply

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