— Council said it’s “prudent to amend the original design” to allow for bus priority.
Part of a planned cycle path on the Killininny Road in Dublin, which was part of the D24 Neighbourhood Cycle Network, has been changed into a bus lane with cycling to be mixed on a shared path made up of a footpath which is to be widened.
The planned cycle route on Killininny Road was 1.5km, and around 40% of the route is affected by the change.
The wider D24 Neighbourhood Cycle Network is one of the few substantial Active Travel-related ‘Pathfinder projects which have been progressed with South Dublin County Council quickly building cycle paths, safer crossings and other links in the Dublin 24 area.
The Pathfinder programme was launched by former transport and climate minister Eamon Ryan, with the aim of speeding up climate action.
On the changes to the plans on Killininny Road, South Dublin County Council said: “During the construction of the D24 Neighbourhood Cycle Network, South Dublin County Council, SDCC, were made aware of concerns on Killininny Rd.”
“The National Transport Authority highlighted delays to the S8 bus during the morning rush hour between Parklands roundabout and the junction of Killininny Rd and St Colmcille’s Way,” the council said.
“As a result of this, SDCC thought it was prudent to amend the original design. There will be an eastbound bus lane constructed between the Parklands roundabout and the St Colmcille’s Way junction. This section of road will consist of an eastbound bus lane, eastbound traffic lane and a westbound traffic lane,” according to the statement from the council, which was published on its website on Wednesday.
The council said that the proposed raised table zebra crossing to the rear of Gaelscoil Na Giuise and Firhouse Educate Together will also be “upgraded” to a “signalised toucan or a push button pedestrian and cyclist crossing.”
This is because the road will now be three lanes wide at this point, which is seen as unsuitable for zebra crossing. It was not said why this is viewed to be an upgrade.
The council added: “The existing footpath on the southside will be replaced with a wider shared path to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists. These works will be executed under Section 38 of the Roads Traffic Act 1994.”
NTA guidance outlines how shared paths along road sides are widely disliked widely by people walking and cycling. The original plan also had sections of shared paths at junctions, but the majority of the links included separated space for both people walking and users of cycle paths.
“the road will now be three lanes wide at this point”
As your mechanic would say to you, ‘there’s your problem’!
If you keep the cycle lane, less people will drive and cause bus delays.
Shared space is the wrong option here why not remove the car lane divert cars and make a bus gate instead
I live in the area and (as a cyclist) am not a fan of the new cycle lane network and I actively navigate to avoid them. Straight-ahead priority is ceded at virtually every junction.
But, watching the above infrastructure take shape a bus lane is definitely a good idea. However if it is not policed then it’ll simply become a third traffic lane clogged with cars and stationary buses. As the Ballycullen road is every morning.
Good morning all I’m an avid cyclist.
However has the local authorities discussed the issues that’s already started, ie the ambulance and fire brigade cannot help anyone that has a cardiac arrest or a house fire its a very serious matter,
‘an avid cyclist’
‘as a cyclist’ (comment above)
Followed by ‘but I avoid the cycle lanes’ ‘the addition of a bus lane is good, actually’ ‘there wasn’t enough consultation’. One comment hints at ‘vehicular cycling’, the other is a common bad-faith argument for why segregated cycle lanes, rather than catering for private motor traffic, is a bad thing.
Assumption much? I live just off the road being discussed, will be a user of the infrastructure that results, and myself and my wife average 10 to 12 thousand km a year on our bikes.
What’s the point of shared cycle and pedestrian walkways? They just don’t work for commuting cyclists, and let’s be honest here it’s to satisfy the statistics that we have X km of bicycle lanes in Dublin. But they’re not fit for purpose. Especially when they terminate abruptly, cross a path or a bus stop. For most it’s just a strip of paint on a path that’s barely visible and not even noticed by pedestrians and gives drivers a reason to give out to cyclists for being on the road and not on a strip of paint on a pathway.
Ok that’s my rant over. Realistically education is key, driver awareness of vulnerable road users is the short term solution and the long term solution is always going to be a dedicated and proportionately planned section of road for cyclists.
The usual totally stupid wrong decision by planners.
If you note the diagrams, in both plans the “existing grass verges” are left untouched.
By what standard of sanity is keeping a verge for grass to grow regarded as more important than protecting cyclists lives?
(And that mindless decision is repeated endlessly all over the country, where there is usually “no room for a cycle lane” on roads but they have plenty of room for grass verges and/or “lanes” of car parking spaces on one or both sides of the roads).