Dublin’s Deansgrange Road has re-opened for two-way motor traffic, and the new cycle path is expected to open within days.
Making the road one-way permanently was part of the original proposal, which was rejected by councillors. When making the road one-way was needed for the construction works, it had been a conspiracy theory outlined by some who opposed the route that the road would never open to two-way traffic. That has been proven wrong today.
The cycle path is the third design solution proposed after consultation and long council debates. Councillors rejected the original proposal to make the road one-way for motorists. That followed a suggestion of using an existing path in the Deansgrange Cemetery for part of the cycle route so that two-way traffic could be retained without affecting car parking outside the cemetery.
The existing proposal is an adjustment of the latter route with the graveyard section removed in favour of removing the on-street car parking across from it. It was voted for by a clear majority of councillors, with 24 voting for it, 13 against it, and three abstaining.
This progress on the project was welcomed today by Minister for State and local Green Party TD Ossian Smyth, who said that the cycle path is to be open “over the next few days”
He said: “Great news! The Deansgrange Road is now open for two-way traffic. The cycle lane will open over the next few days. Dún Laoghaire is transforming into a safer place for us all to walk and cycle.”
Jason Cullen, chairperson of the Dublin Commuter Coalition, said: “Deansgrange road is re-opened to two-way traffic and the cycle lane is only days away from opening as well!! This is the link between two of the active travel routes for school children in DLRCC, it’s super important for the switch to active travel.”
On Tuesday, the Deansgrange Cycle Route, a group of local residents who campaigned for the cycle route, said: “It’s definitely a massive improvement on the old situation. Night and day. Most of it is lovely and wide. Still, work is to be done in parts, incl. junctions. We will wait to see how the x-ing works in practice. Exciting times!”
IrishCycle.com has asked Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council why road markings are directing users of the two-way cycle path to cycle on the opposite side than is the norm. This will be covered in a future article.
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After all the palaver and antisocial yellow signs, I see that a number of the cottage owners have taken it upon themselves to knock their garden walls to allow them to park outside their front doors. What a load of hullabaloo over nothing.
Can’t wait to see how the car transporter drivers handle the double bike lane – as in will they A) park up on it, B) park on the road or C) reverse into the actual premises and unload. I imagine the council has already been in discussions with each of the showrooms on either side of the road as to their arrangements for deliveries.
My money is on A regardless.
As far as I can recall, when a penalty-point FCPN was introduced for illegal parking the various car transporter companies secured a bye to enable them to park in clearways, bus lanes and cycle tracks in order to make deliveries. #motornormativity from the outset!
Just … wow… the largest and most obstructive vehicle gets priority over people walking or on bikes. Sick.
AFAIK, the reversal of bike directions in the bike lane on one side of the main road is to prevent bikes appearing to ride into oncoming motor traffic.
Yet another example of motor-normativity. God help the poor motorists, you wouldn’t want to be confusing them. Good luck with that – I see clusterf**ks ahead.
Not quite, it’s also helps the cyclist going against the motor traffic flow as they’re an extra 2m or so away from the road. You can see this in action on a short stretch of Johnstown Rd at the junction with Granville Road. It does sound counter-intuitive, but it seems to work.
Oh that’s interesting, though I experience it differently. I always feel safer when I’m cycling against the traffic to cycling with the traffic, including on a protected lane. Something about seeing the threat.
*cycling closer to against the traffic*
Probably something about visual proximity to an oncoming vehicle gives bike users the heebeejeebies! I see the 2-way track along the Upper Glenageary Rd is proceeding slowly along. Interested to know will it too be ‘contraflow’ so to speak.
What local residents campaigned. I live on Deansgrange road and I do not know of one local resident who campaigned never mind residentS
The campaign group is linked in the article – https://x.com/BikeDeansgrange
Don’t think the bus stop is to standard looks too narrow for a wheelchair to use safely
Seems of the kind where I would have seen it in Copenhagen where one would wait to the left of the bike lane until the bus was approaching and then move across the bike lane to board as it stopped. The key elements to this working are:
– People on bikes yield at ALL times, not when they think they can get through even if someone is only starting to move to the crossing;
– That buses stop at the stop irrespective of whether someone is standing out to the edge; and
– the person has put their hand out. That ridiculous thing that contributes to so much variability in bus transit times here and is why I do not see this layout as viable from a safety perspective.
The PWD should be able to wait to the left and move forward without fear of being knocked by a bike, or fear of the bus driver ignoring them and continuing on.