Greenways [greenway map of Ireland in post 1]

Pete_Cavan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118285009#Comment_118285009

And a link from Portumna to Scarrif shouldn't be too difficult which would then form a route to Limerick.

Really though, a route between Ballinasloe should be part of the long term plan. There is plenty of state owned land between them, BNM, Coillte, Tagaisc, etc. If the rail lined was being double tracked, an ambition anyway, a cycle route could be provided to link up other sections. I think that eventually a greenway will happen between Athenry and Tuam, if that happens linking it to other greenways becomes a no-brainer.

Grassey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118284538#Comment_118284538

Not 100% sure. I assume someone saw the value in a trail along the river to link with Shannonbridge regardless of whether the route continued onwards to Athenry or not.

Pete_Cavan

The route from the Shannon to Ballinasloe will like up upgrading an existing route through the bogs so should be straightforward enough

Sam Russell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118284093#Comment_118284093

Is there a reason the Mullingar to Athlone greenway is not included?

Pete_Cavan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118285360#Comment_118285360

I assume to make it look as bad as possible.

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118284147#Comment_118284147

The tweet I posted obviously is a piss take.

However, the proposed route shows that (rightly or wrongly) greenways are an amenity and not a transport route. Any commuters or tourists wanting to travel between Athlone to Galway and not mix with traffic won't have an option but to take a long detour. The bike continues to be ignored as a sustainable form of transport.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118285394#Comment_118285394

Most of these greenways will never be about commuting. You can't plan your commute time round things like "it's a sunny day and the path is full of people"

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118285394#Comment_118285394

Greenways started out as a tourist thing, but the goal has changed for them now to fill both roles.

To your point though, nobody was ever going to commute from Athlone to Galway on a bike so it makes no difference what the route is from A to B.

As for the route that has emerged, commuting by bike is feasible on this route from several small towns and villages.

Personally I would have preferred it to go through Athenry for my commuting purposes at the time the 5 routes were announced, but as I'm now WFH in Athlone, it makes little difference to me anymore. Honestly I'm just happy they managed to kinda stick to the timeline for getting this stage done. With any luck we'll break ground in 2024, and open in 2025

KevRossi

A few of the positives that I can see with the proposed route:

The spur to Ballinasloe can be built on top of an existing dyke for an old train line. It provides a link to people in Ballinasloe to use as a recreational amenity as the route is not only for tourists.

By doing the Ballinasloe spur and taking the route through Portumna, there will be ca. 60km of a greenway along the Shannon (from Athlone) and a 50km route along the Shannon-Suck. This all links up to a number of long distance walkways in Ireland.

IMO Westmeath Co Co are among the best in the country when it comes to providing greenways. Hopefully they will provide a 'quiet route' along with necessary infrastructure from Athlone to the Royal at Ballybranigan near Ballymahon. This would give a decent route from the top of Lough Ree (Cloondara/Longford) to Portumna, ca, 100km. There are plans to develop the bogs between Roosky and Lanesboro into a tourist amenity, it could be a wonderful stretch to walk/cycle.

There is a system of dykes along the Shannon from Portumna to the north, along the Shannon. This looks to be part of the proposed route. I've walked it and it's a lovely route.

What is odd is that there is no proposed bridge across to the Grand at Shannon Harbour, though this may be done at a future date, it would be ideal to do it now. They may assume people will use the existing bridge at Banagher a few km downstream.

Although Athenry is not included, the planning consultation process gives Galway Co Co the possibility to develop the idea of a greenway from Athenry to link up with this one near Oranmore.

The route arguably serves more people than the 'straight' one from Ballinasloe to Galway. It is an amenity for locals as well as tourists, this needs to be considered.

The route gives far more potential jumping off points than a 'straight' route, with possibilities to head along the Royal or Grand, or up into Roscommon, over to the Burren, or down the Shannon to East Clare, Tipperary or Limerick.

The route goes through the bogs and fields of South Roscommon, then along the Shannon, across the Slieve Aughtys and skirts the Burren and the Atlantic on its route back to Galway. This is a good mix of landscapes, land formations, farming types and biodiversity habitats.

Also gives some other options if travelling by train and bike or on foot and by bus/train.

A 'big diversion' on a greenway as mentioned by a couple of posters is nothing new. Someone mentioned EV2. I'm not so familiar with that, but am very familar with EV6 and there's two big double diversions from Dole to Nevers, which adds almost 100 km to the route. It uses rivers and canals and there's an interesting history along the route. I took that route and didn't regret it, if you want to take short cuts then feel free to do so. Using this route from Dublin to Galway makes the journey the destination.

(Route I took on EV2 is roughly here):

https://www.google.ie/maps/dir/Nevers,+France/Digoin,+France/Chagny,+France/Chalon-sur-Sa%C3%B4ne,+France/39100+Dole,+France/@47.0714727,5.1274141,11z/data=!4m37!4m36!1m5!1m1!1s0x47f04f5e20402f61:0x58f94858a803848!2m2!1d3.162845!2d46.990896!1m5!1m1!1s0x47f3de8984a62abb:0x409ce34b30eea50!2m2!1d3.979376!2d46.480798!1m5!1m1!1s0x47f2f76b3fb8893f:0x409ce34b30ef0a0!2m2!1d4.753218!2d46.910567!1m10!1m1!1s0x47f2fc97e4ec6639:0x409ce34b30ef070!2m2!1d4.853947!2d46.780764!3m4!1m2!1d5.2631574!2d47.1018899!3s0x47f2ba22914fe9ed:0x146353091595d65c!1m5!1m1!1s0x478d4b798a725511:0x409ce34b3125600!2m2!1d5.49081!2d47.09534!3e1!5m1!1e3)

Sam Russell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118285709#Comment_118285709

I suppose you cannot plan your commute by car round things like "it's a sunny day and the roads are full of cars".

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118286795#Comment_118286795

Not the same. Yes traffic can be bigger or smaller but there are also rules (sort of) on the road and it's very different to a shared path full of kids and dogs. Even where there is split lanes people just walk all over them.

Proper cycle lanes split but integrated from the road with dedicated signaling is what's needed for commuting and anything else is a token cop out

flazio

That Ballinasloe Spur looks like it's being built on the Grand Canal end from Shannon Harbour to Ballinasloe. So technically it's the end of the Grand Canal Greenway rather than the Dublin Galway Greenway.

Sam Russell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118286848#Comment_118286848

I do not want to derail this thread, but commuting by car suffers from traffic delays. Just listen to RTE's traffic news in the morning - same places nearly every day.

So I would expect will commuting by bike suffer occasionally, but a lot less often.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118287327#Comment_118287327

I'm not arguing for a car v bike. I wouldn't because I never owned a car

I am arguing that a bike on road or roadside bike lane is more reliable than a bike on a greenway when commuting.

CatInABox

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118287347#Comment_118287347

Absolutely not true. Biking on a road is subject to the behaviour of the cars on the road, which are significantly more dangerous than people using on a cycleway. I'd much prefer to be dodging people on a greenway than dodging cars on a road.

Sam Russell

Mod: Can we stick to Greenways, and leave the cyclists to do their own thing.

Grassey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118284538#Comment_118284538

The project team for the greenway route design are based in Ballinasloe... 😋

flazio

Even if the Ballinasloe spur wasn't designated part of the Dublin Galway Greenway it would still have been built as the last stretch of the Grand Canal Greenway.

riddlinrussell

Map Updated with the new route and a potential link route to Scariff, to better enable Limerick to Galway journeys. Will update again once they have an actual planned route, but it gives a better idea of the potential connections.

Greenway Map

I'd agree with a lot of what has been said here, there are actually a LOT of positives to this route, it is genuinely much better for connectivity of routes, something sorely lacking so far in Ireland, and at the Galway end provides a lot of commuter and tourism potential if done right. That said a more direct option should be very seriously looked at, Athenry has other planned greenways coming from it and linking those to Galway is going to be needed, and from there to Ballinasloe is a no-brainer once those routes exist.

Regarding the Ballinasloe spur. As far as I am aware its almost entirely along the old Ballinasloe canal, which I assume is entirely in state ownership and already has a rough path, it would be mad not to include it in the works when it will be a pittance to upgrade compared to the rest of the work required.

riddlinrussell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118199996#Comment_118199996

Sorry this got missed! Can you confirm that the entire route from Kilbeggan to Ballycommon is completed? Is there any provision for cycling from Kilbeggan Harbour itself to the town?

Seth Brundle

Catherine Murphy received this reply from the NTA regarding the Leixlip - Maynooth section of the Royal canal...

https://twitter.com/CathMurphyTD/status/1468544253160734720

flazio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118291463#Comment_118291463

Yep, more or less, no tape or fences blocking any section, signage at all road crossing points, she's good to go. To get into town from the harbour you use the road but there's plenty of signage and road paint to warn all road users that you are sharing the path. I'd have taken pictures but the weather was closing in on me and I just wanted to get back to my car asap

riddlinrussell

Does anyone have any info on the main line of the Grand Canal in Offaly? I see Tullamore to Dangean down as 'Under Construction' due to be finished in Summer 2021, does anyone know if thats done?

flazio

From what I can remember the path out of Tullamore under the bypass is all paved. Once your out of town I think most of the towpath is a property access road. The Google Street view car was able to drive the whole way from Bolands lock to Daingen a few years ago.

nilhg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118292401#Comment_118292401

Tullamore to Daingean is essentially finished, a couple of us rode it a few weeks ago (from Daingean and on to Pullough). From Daingean east out to Killeen bridge hasn't been touched AFAIK but from Killeen bridge east to Edenderry Harbour is open and usable with just some small works to complete, mainly surfacing on the areas where you transit on the towpath under bridges.

No works east of that as yet and nothing at all in Kildare, not sure what's happening with that part of the Greenway or what the delay is.

Grassey

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/all-island-greenway-network-plan-to-be-announced-by-taoiseach-1.4750503

Taoiseach Micheál Martin will on Thursday outline his plans for major green all-island projects including new cross-Border greenway routes...

He is also expected to promote an all-island greenway network for cycling and walking, with routes extending from one jurisdiction to another. Already plans have been mooted for a greenway to link Sligo to Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, and to Lough Neagh. However, the new initiative would also see greenways running, for example, from Donegal to Derry; from Louth to Down, and from Monaghan and Cavan to Armagh and Tyrone.

riddlinrussell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118293398#Comment_118293398

Regarding Kildare, a lot of focus on the Barrow branch in 2020/21

Sallins to Ardclough is due to start work early 2022, but Sallins to Robertstown I don't think is planned in the immediate future. Robertstown on to Edenderry I am not sure on at all, but I believe its actually a bit more advanced in planning than Robertstown to Sallins.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118294190#Comment_118294190

"New Initiative"

Louth-Down link is well advanced and construction is expected to start early enough next year, Monaghan/Cavan-Armagh/Tyrone is likely the Ulster Canal path, again already underway, and the Wee Greenway in Inishowen is already cross border Derry-Donegal.

I fully expect this to be a restating of existing work...

Zebra3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118291531#Comment_118291531

Can’t happen soon enough. Seems a long time for the construction period for what looks a relatively straight forward job.

nilhg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118294396#Comment_118294396

It's a bit mystifying what's happening in Kildare, as you say the focus has been on the Barrow Blueway which is a great facility and really doesn't deserve to be cut off from the main population centres (Naas/Sallins) locally. I rode the canal bank up to Sallins last Sunday morning and as I turned and headed home there were people on bikes ahead of me, two men, a 6/7 year old on a kids bike and two toddlers in a bike trailer, all trying to manouvre around the potholes on the towpath up by the Leinster aquaduct, I don't think they were really enjoying the experience.

It'll all come together in good time I suppose but it'd be nice to have a decent timeline somewhere.

riddlinrussell

The all island greenway network announcement seems to have been part of a "Shared Island" briefing at 2pm. Didn't see anything concrete regarding it in the speech, and definitely seems like they are just re-stating the existence of cross border greenways. Remains to be seen if anything new is coming out of it.

Anyone else spotted anything additional?