What else is in the draft Dublin City Centre Transport Plan in terms of cycling? This is a companion article to an article covering what’s in the Dublin City Centre Transport Plan generally which also covers a lot of cycling details, it’s best to read that first.
The draft plan talks broadly about cycling and moving Dublin towards a different type of cycling city that is more welcoming to a wider range of people cycling.
It said: “The quality, safety and usability of the City Centre streets for cycling can be significantly improved by reducing the level of through traffic. When discussing cycling in Dublin City Centre, it is vital that we acknowledge all forms of movement by people using all types of bicycle. Standard bicycles may continue to dominate this mode in the short-term, however the growth of cargo bikes, electric bikes, scooters and e-scooters, as well as the proliferation of various rental bike schemes, will continue to change the character of this mode over the coming years.”
It adds: “While DCC and the NTA are of the view that the entire City Centre should present a welcoming environment for all standards of cyclists, there is a focus on the primary cycle network which is forecast to carry the highest number of cyclists and connect the most important trip attractors.”
On cycling, the plan outlines key points as follows:
- “The primary cycle network will be provided with high-quality infrastructure which either segregates cyclists from general vehicular traffic, or will comprise a low traffic or traffic free environment;”
- “Segregated infrastructure will be sought on the secondary cycle network and delivered where feasible and deemed necessary;”
- “Cycling will be permitted on ‘traffic-free streets’;”
- “Two way cycling will be permitted on one-way streets where possible;”
- “Cycle Parking will be promoted in all multi-storey car parks where it can be provided and accessed safely and conveniently;”
- “The Cycle infrastructure on the primary network in the City Centre will operate on a 24-hour basis;”
- “The maintenance and expansion of bicycle rental schemes will be kept under review; and”
- “Investment in on-street public cycle parking will continue in order to provide publicly accessible cycle parking spaces which cater for both standard bicycle spaces and non-standard spaces for adapted and cargo bikes.”
While some of the main street changes related to the wider City Centre Transport Plan and the City Centre Pathfinder project are indicated in the main article, it’s worth highlighting that the other routes could be built as part of these and the draft plan outlines a whole network of routes (see below).
Some of these measures such as two-way cycling on one-way streets have been long promised with little progress. So, only time will tell if this time around things will be different.
Prioritising key routes such as the Liffey Cycle Route
The project will also include looking to prioritise key sections of the cycle network within the city centre, the area defined as between the canals.
The draft plan said: “While it is intended to continue investment in cycle infrastructure throughout the City Centre, including investment under BusConnects, there are a selection of significant cycling projects which can be prioritised for implementation as part of this plan, subject to detailed design and planning consent, e.g., the Liffey Cycle Route.”
“The Liffey Cycle Route is identified as a Primary Route in the Greater Dublin Area Cycle Network Plan, and has been a priority for DCC and the NTA for many years, but a number of issues have delayed its implementation,” it said.
It added: “The removal of through traffic on the quays will free road space along this route, and should allow for cycle infrastructure to be provided on this Primary Cycle Route. The development of a high quality cycle route, which will meet the requirements of cyclists of varied experience, will provide a central spine through the city for cycling, something which has been lacking to date.”
Network maps
There were already too conflicting planned cycle networks in Dublin City — the NTA’s Greater Dublin Area Cycle Network Plan and the Dublin City Council Active Travel Network map. To be clear: Both were released around the same time.
The draft shows the recently updated GDA cycle network map close to the start of the document:
And then there’s another map showing a primary cycle network in the cycling section of the plan. I guessed this was the council’s Active Travel but there are notable differences between this network and the online version of the Active Travel Office’s map.
So, this map in the cycling section of the plan is yet another network map added to the previously released network plans:
LINK: Have your say on the plan now.
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