Part opening of Deansgrange cycle route welcomed, council explain why people cycling directed to use wrong side of cycle path

After years of debate and different options progressed before being dropped, the Deansgrange cycle path is now partly opened after the road was re-opened to two-way traffic last week.

Originally, the cycle path was to be a quicker build project installed by making the road one-way. When opposition to this mounted, the council switched to using an existing shared path in Deansgrange Cemetery. The objecting councillors first warmly welcomed the graveyard route before the backlash started to this idea.

Finally the currently plan included a narrow cycle path in parts and the removal of on-street parking across from the graveyard. It was agreed on by a majority of councillors.

Deansgrange Cycle Route, a campaign group made up of local residents, said: “Barriers are down on the cemetery to crossroads part of the cycle lane. Haven’t had a chance to check the northern section yet. Everyone shaken by the incident in Dun Laoghaire, a relief to have this section open now while other parts are being completed. Safe cycling everyone.”

After groups and politicians posted images of the new cycle path, there were questions of why people cycling are being directed to cycle on the wrong side of the cycle path.

Normally, two-way cycle paths are treated much like mini-roadways, and people cycle on the left regardless of which direction they are travelling in. With the layout on the Deansgrange Road, people are directed to cycle on the right of the cycle path.

Nicola Hogan, a spokesperson for the Deansgrange Cycle Route group said: “We’re not engineers. We understand the reasons given for switching the direction of travel, let’s see how it works in practice once construction is completed and the cycle lane is open. We will feed back any suggestions for improvements once we’ve had a chance to try it out. The biggest priority now should be completing the works.”

She added: “Everyone is saddened by the tragic death of the young woman cycling in Dún Laoghaire on Wednesday. We urgently need this infrastructure delivered to provide a safe route to school.”

A spokesperson for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said: “The markings on the Deansgrange cycle path place cyclists on the right-hand side for the following reasons: The junction of Kill Lane and Deansgrange Road has been designed to include dedicated cycle crossings. The new layout of the junction and the new two-way cycle track on Deansgrange Road have been designed to simplify conflicting movements and ensure cyclists can move through the junction and onto the cycle track in a smooth and comfortable manner.”

“Furthermore, this scheme involves retrofitting a new two-way cycle track onto an existing road corridor, the width of which is restricted by private businesses, houses and Deansgrange Cemetery wall. These significant constraints restricted the ability to provide a landscaped physical buffer between two-way track and carriageway,” the spokesperson said.

They added: “As such, a concrete kerb is provided between the two-way track and carriageway. To ensure optimal cyclist comfort and the attractiveness of the facility, a design decision was taken to have cyclists cycle on the right-hand side of the cycle track so that they would not be facing oncoming road traffic.”

The design of switching flows on two-way cycle paths is not common in Dublin but is used in Limerick City where it has gotten mixed reviewed with some saying it’s fine and others saying it causes confusion.