Cork City Council planning loading bay blocking one end of cycle access route

Cork City Council plans to place a loading bay to block the end of a section of an access route for cycling as part of its planned Emmett Place Enhancement Project.

The plan for the plaza-like area around Emmett Place includes the expansion of car-free spaces, new greening of the area, and the renewing of the public space with, for example, new seating and stone paving extended along the build-side footpaths on Lavitt’s Quay.

The council said that the project will only be constructed following the completion of the redevelopment of the Crawford Gallery with an “anticipated start date” of 2027.

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Emmett Place between Opera Lane and the quays had already been closed off to through traffic. When the new plan is implemented, motorised access will be bollard-controlled. There will only be limited access provided for larger-scale deliveries, events, emergencies and servicing.

Along the section of Emmet Place between Academy St and Drawbridge St the carriageway will be narrowed, giving more space to the northern footpath and allowing the disabled parking bays to be made more accessible with more buffer space around the parking space which is important to help disabled people access their cars.

The city council has previously said that the two-way cycle path on Christy Ring Bridge was mainly to access Emmett Place. But now the plan is to allow cycling on the otherwise closed-off carriageway and then to block the eastern end with a loading bay.

The drawings show cycling on the existing stone-clad carriageway. Although one photomontage (below) shows a flower box at the northern end of the cycle access route, the drawings show bollards at both ends.

The plan is also not being used as an opportunity to remove the existing shared footpath space and shared crossing at the southeast corner of Christy Ring Bridge.

The consultation is now live at consult.corkcity.ie and the closing date for submissions is Tuesday, January 10th, 2025, at 4pm.

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