A new 114m long walking and cycling link between the Drummartin Link Road and Bracken Road will cut the length of people’s walking and cycling journeys and allow them to avoid the busy junction of Blackthorn Drive beside the Beacon Hospital.
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) have just opened the new permeability access. It links from the Drummartin Link Road just north of the M50 junction to Bracken Road, partially through the TII Sandyford Maintenance Depot.
The council said that the route will significantly cut walking and cycling journey times between Sandyford Business District and Sandyford Village, connecting two areas on opposite sides of the M50.
Video originally tweeted by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (@dlrcc) on March 28, 2023.
The council said that it will complement current and future routes within the area of Sandyford Business Park, while also helping to promote Active Travel as a preferred mode choice for local journeys. The council said “Active Travel is a core policy objective” for it as a climate change mitigation measure, a way to promote healthy communities and to “aid the evolution of the 10-minute neighbourhood concept”.
Cllr Mary Hanafin, Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown said: “I warmly welcome the opening of this key active travel connection into the Sandyford Business District, which I have no doubt will be utilised extensively by many people living and working in the region.”
“This link provides a vital artery to Sandford across the M50, from rapidly growing areas such as Stepaside, Ballyogan Road, Carrickmines and will significantly reduce commuting times for people in these surrounding areas,” she said.
Frank Curran, chief executive of the council, said: “We are delighted to open the latest addition to our ever-expanding active travel network in the county. This scheme, which we have collaborated with TII to deliver, will provide a fully segregated pedestrian and cycling facilities, offering a safer commute for users between Sandyford and its surrounding communities, underpinning the Council’s commitment to the continual improvement in accessibility to the Sandyford Business District.”
Ger Corbett, CEO of Sandyford Business District said: “Sandyford Business District are delighted to mark the opening of the new cycle link from Drummartin Road to Bracken Road. We welcome dlr’s newest addition to their active travel network which presents a more direct and segregated access route into the District for both cyclists and pedestrians from surrounding areas.”
He added: “We look forward to working with dlr in the near future to increase the active travel network connecting Sandyford Business District with the rest of the County.”
Despite all the recent cycle track infrastructure that has gone in at the M50 roundabout, there is still no safe cycle route between the “Green Route Southbound” and Kilgobbin Road. That is the route for anybody cycling between the Ballinteer area and for example The Park, Carrickmines. The options for cyclists are a) an unrealistic 1km detour down to the Blackthorn Dr junction, 2) dismount and cross the Green Route and use right side path and then cross roundabout carriageway, all without crossing facilities, dropped kerbs etc. or 3) cycle on the road which will not an option for most.