The Green Party has welcomed the release of detailed design drawings by Dublin City Council for the proposed Clontarf to City Centre Cycle Route. The plans will be presented to the Local Area Committees in June. Revised proposals anticipate construction starting in early 2021 and taking two years to complete.

Speaking in advance of World Bicycle Day on 3rd June, Clontarf Green Party Councillor Donna Cooney said: “I’m delighted that this scheme is moving forward, and the new drawings show several positive changes. We requested that the route would go behind the bus stops at Fairview to prevent conflict with pedestrians and we are glad to see this in these plans.

“It is great to see that cyclists will receive a green light in advance of motorists at junctions, as this will increase cyclist safety and reduce conflicts between drivers and cyclists. The revisions to the scheme at Edge’s Corner and Five Lamps are a distinct improvement as they provide protection for cyclists from general traffic. I am pleased that there will be protection for more of the mature trees along the route.”

Green Party Councillor for the North Inner City, Janet Horner said:
“This is good news. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought more people out cycling. As restrictions ease we need to address safety issues so people can continue to cycle. I am pleased that the latest scheme provides improved segregation from motor traffic. The revised drawings underline the need to link this scheme in with the proposed Liffey cycle route as well as the Royal Canal cycle route and I will be pressing for this to happen.

“I am also pleased that the scheme incorporates Sustainable Drainage (SuDS) measures. This is a golden opportunity to incorporate more green infrastructure.  In addition, traffic management during construction will need to be carefully managed and communicated to local residents.”

Green Party MEP for Dublin Ciarán Cuffe said:
“I am delighted that we’ve got to this stage, and I hope that the revised plans will move quickly to construction. There is real potential at this stage to incorporate measures to  tackle sea-level rise and storm surges at the northern end of the scheme on the Clontarf Road and Alfie Byrne Road junction and eliminate the unsightly temporary ‘yellow bag’ flood relief measures.

“It is extraordinary that it has taken eight years to advance the scheme to this stage, and we need to increase project management capacity within our local authorities to advance these schemes more quickly in future. I’d like to see multi-disciplinary teams appointed to ensure that landscaping and urban design issues are integrated into these schemes from the outset.

“We also have to ensure that the needs of those with impaired vision are fully considered, and I would hope that pedestrian crossings would be provided on all legs of busy junctions along the route. I also hope that our engineers are working to eliminate the plethora of junction boxes that gave rise to the ‘Luashenge’ of the cross-city Luas project.”