Painted bicycle logos were burnt off the road surface on a residential street in Dublin because a councillor complained that the road safety and wayfinding markings would be “too intrusive” and would confuse motorists.
The markings which were placed on the roadway at Riverside Cottages in Templeogue were provided as part of the construction of the Dodder Greenway in the area.
The bicycle logos act as both a wayfinding feature for people cycling to the Dodder Greenway and a safety feature to remind motorists that there is a higher chance of people cycling on the streets. The logos were painted sometime after the bridge to the greenway was built and then burnt off sometime after.
The logos were only removed from Riverside Cottages but remain in place on another approach route to the greenway on the opposite side of a new bridge over the River Dodder at Kilvere.
Kilvere is even used in the NTA Cycle Design Manual as an example of a “Shared Street” or “Cycle streets” where logos are marked on the street. The manual outlines that such streets “are access-only streets for motor vehicles which also serve as a primary route within the cycle network.”
Emails between Cllr Pamela Kearns (Labour) and a South Dublin County Council official were released by the council after a Freedom of Information request was made by this website.
Ronan Carroll, an executive engineer with the council, said to Cllr Kearns in an emailed dated October 2021 that the markings were a standard logo.
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Carroll said: “I’ve been over and back with the consultant on this. The markings have gone in to indicate a shared street as per the 2017 P8 planning grant (relevant drawing 2217 attached). They are as per the standard logo in the traffic signs manual.”
In reply, Cllr Kearns said: “Thanks for getting back to me. When I called the office about this I was informed that the signs on riverside were a mistake and that they should have been the same as the ones on the opposite side of the bridge, a blue circle with a bike logo in the middle. There is clearly more than one type of logo. We also agreed that they were too big for such a small area and they would be burned off as soon as possible and replaced with what was originally planned for that area.”
She added: “This is the message I relayed to the residents and they were relived that the council were taking on board their concerns. I made a commitment to the residents in good faith, based on what I was told and I really don’t see how I can renege on that commitment. I would be grateful if you could give me a call so we can discuss how the changes committed to can be achieved.”
No further replies were released under the Freedom of Information request, but the blue circle also depicts a pedestrian beside a bike logo, which is only generally used on shared paths.
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IrishCycle.com asked Cllr Kearns could she explain what objection residents had against the standard bicycle logos, which is a safety and wayfinding measure.
Cllr Kearns said: “You are perfectly correct that road markings were agreed as part of the Part 8 planning process and I support that. However, the chosen logo was to big and intrusive and was also confusing to other road users as it looked as if only bicycles could use the road. It was agreed, at my request and on behalf of the residents to remove them and replace them with a more appropriate one yet to be decided.”
She added: “I stand over my request and look forward to meeting with the project team in the near future to discuss an alternative logo as I am sure you agree road safety is paramount.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE BICYCLE LOGOS?
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This type of confusion is well solve for in the Bicycle Street road marking used in the Netherlands. It shows both a bike and a care showing that both should use this space, but also reinforces the expected priority of cycles. Sometimes we should copy things from other countries as they have probably already learnt this lesson.
I can’t imagine it being that confusing as a driver to come across these logos on a road.
The same markings were removed from Church Lane in Rathfarnham as well – another route that links to the Dodder Greenway.
This particular stretch of road is at most 100m long and has very little traffic on it as it is a dead end for cars. My guess is that there are at most 5 houses on the stretch so the councillor is really going hard for those votes.
I’d imagine the residents do feel somewhat nervous of a cycle lane going through their development as it has been close to a private park for the past 100 years. Their monopoly on that space has been taken away by the cycleway and foot traffic the bridge has introduced.
I doubt that the signs stopped any motorists from driving on the stretch of road so all that has been achieved is a waste of public money. Will the new signage be acceptable?
A crack pot anti-road safety councillor was my initial thought on reading the title of the article.
However, Cllr Kearns has raised an issue that is a danger to bicycle users. And that is the total inconsistency regarding road signage throughout Ireland.
When are the, whatever quango is responsible, going to note best practice bicycle and pedestrian signage abroad and replicate it here?
Cllr Kearns is clearly living in a #motordom world. The big cycle logo markings simply tell motor drivers to expect bike users riding to and from the greenway. Motors are not banned. The markings are used in many similar places.
The engineering/traffic officials should not have ceded ground to her.
If you come from the Bushy park cycle path side I seem to remember it is very hard to get up to that road linking with the bridge crossing as there are only steps up.
See lots of roads with those markings without any issue so why here a problem.