The new Liffey Cycle Route in Dublin has been approved, in limited and interim format, by Dublin City Council.
However, the new route will only cost €800,000, it will be temporary and it will not run the full length of the quays on the south side of the river.
Despite the fact the route is now the envisaged longer term plan, Dublin Cycling Campaign - which has lobbying for improvements for cyclists along the Liffey - has welcomed the scheme as a short term and interim measure.
“It is important to note that the trial
is only an interim measure - it is not the finished article,” the campaign
group said.
“The permanent Liffey Cycle Route is not
predicted to be completed until at least 2024, mainly due to the complexity of
the proposed project; new boardwalks, dealing with historic quay walls and bridges (and the) lengthy planning process.”
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Rather than the cycle route running the full length of the quays as a segregated cycleway, the interim format approved at a meeting of Dublin City Council last night will be separated from vehicular traffic by a line of orcas.
And on the south side of the river the council has decided it is not possible to install even the temporary measure the full way down the quays.
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Instead, part of the "cycle route" there will be to continue the practice of cyclists sharing the bus lane with buses, but to extend the bus lane to a permanent, 24-hour, facility.
It means on what is arguably the most dangerous section of the quays, there will be no change for cyclists for now, apart from the operation time of the bus lane being extended.
The council has decided there is not enough space to install any form of cycleway on the south quays on the stretch from O’Connell Bridge to the Civic Offices; a long and dangerous section for cyclists.
The National Transport Authority had
envisaged a much more substantial cycleway on both quays from the Phoenix Park
to the 3Arena, costing about €20 million because of the works required for such
a significant project.
However, the new format now passed by Dublin City Council is temporary, will be rolled out in phases to August and is a much less ambitious scheme costing only €800,000.
This temporary route will also only involve the section of quays from Phoenix Park to Custom House Quay.
It means large sections of the quays – including
Aston Quay, Crampton Quay, Essex Quay and Ushers Island - will not have any
segregated cycling lanes under the new temporary plan.
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