S2S Cycleway - northside

Mercian Pro

We have been waiting for the missing link to be completed for decades. Now that we are finally getting close to it happening, there are concerns about cyclists being dazzled by oncoming cars; cars parking on the cycle path, dog walkers and runners using the cycle path and cyclists riding off the edge of the path.

Why not give it a little bit longer, try it out and see if there really are any issues?

Leroy42

Mercian Pro wrote: »

We have been waiting for the missing link to be completed for decades. Now that we are finally getting close to it happening, there are concerns about cyclists being dazzled by oncoming cars; cars parking on the cycle path and cyclists riding off the edge of the path.

Why not give it a little bit longer, try it out and see if there really are any issues?

Well first off, it will defo be used by walkers, runners and people walking the dog etc. It seems that only new tarmac is suitable for walking based on the cyclepath along Clontarf

mrcheez

I spoke to one of the engineers locking up for the night. Said it *might* be ready by January.

So April then.

buffalo

Veloce150 wrote: »

Anything to prevent cyclists accidentlly riding off the track onto the road if they cannot see the edge at night?

The ability to ride in a straight line?

stampydmonkey

Veloce150 wrote: »

Anything to prevent cyclists accidentlly riding off the track onto the road if they cannot see the edge at night?

Yeah. Heard they were installing one of those barriers like on a bowling lane for kids. U just push the huge red button and it pops up. There'll be one on either side so we'll all be safe. Phew!

Veloce150

buffalo wrote:

The ability to ride in a straight line?

Looking out for that sharp kerb
that will drop you onto the road while riding into the rain and a coastal gale, in the dark with cars comng at you at speed just one metre to your left and you're being blinded by their headlamps? Meanwhile, one metre to your right, there's a ninja in black Rapha gear coming back at speed from Howth.

That will be fun.

stecleary

Veloce150 wrote: »

Looking out for that sharp kerb
that will drop you onto the road while riding into the rain and a coastal gale, in the dark with cars comng at you at speed just one metre to your left and you're being blinded by their headlamps? Meanwhile, one metre to your right, there's a ninja in black Rapha gear coming back at speed from Howth.

That will be fun.

just stay at home in your bubble wrap and do us all a favor, that way we wont have to look out for the incompetent Christmas tree wobbling in front of us.

Cars lights shouldn't be blinding, the should be focused much lower than your line of sight.
If the cross wind on the coast road is too much use a different route.
If your own lights don't light up you path enough for you to see the path to your left and a rider to your right no matter what colour gear they are wearing, they aren't good enough for the job.
:rolleyes:

magicbastarder

there *are* streetlamps on that road.
you would be able to see the kerb even without your own lights.

brocbrocach

As long as they don't introduce the sharp fences they have out by Howth.

Veloce150

stecleary wrote: »

Cars lights shouldn't be blinding, the should be focused much lower than your line of sight.

You're obviously not familiar with Irish cars and their drivers.

That track was not designed by an experienced cyclist.

Atlantic Dawn

Looks well, looking forward to it being finished. The area around East Wall where they allowed the opening of LIDL/ALDI opposite each other will make for interesting commutes across city.

From a car point of view my concerns would be that it's not wide enough for the traffic that will be using it especially if there's a breakdown or if some clown in a car decides they want to photograph some brent geese and stops on the road, presumption will be the entire stretch where limited overtaking will exist will be a clearway to stop this. Why they couldn't have just put 2 metres of an extension in to the marsh is beyond me, would have been a top class lifetime job if that was done.

mrcheez

A few more shots that I took last night as they seemed to have opened the gates again (or at least someone did!)

Get a load of that bike lane width!! :pac:




Here's a shot of the section that people normally park on the roadside, note that there's a small wall to the RHS which is away from where the bike lane will go, so I reckon any cars that park up there will be separated from the bike lane.




I did notice that the kerb is actually only 4 inches higher from the road now that the asphalt is down, so yeah it will be possible for cars to drive up onto it

Chuchote

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

From a car point of view my concerns would be that it's not wide enough for the traffic that will be using it especially if there's a breakdown or if some clown in a car decides they want to photograph some brent geese and stops on the road, presumption will be the entire stretch where limited overtaking will exist will be a clearway to stop this.

Sure isn't that what pavements are for?

mrcheez wrote: »

I did notice that the kerb is actually only 4 inches higher from the road now that the asphalt is down, so yeah it will be possible for cars to drive up onto it

They haven't put the diagonal Stanley knife blades in place along the top yet.

P_1

mrcheez wrote: »

A few more shots that I took last night as they seemed to have opened the gates again (or at least someone did!)

Get a load of that bike lane width!! :pac:

[IMG]https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/593976/399933.png Here's a shot of the section that people normally park on the roadside, note that there's a small wall to the RHS which is away from where the bike lane will go, so I reckon any cars that park up there will be separated from the bike lane.[/img][IMG]http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/attachmet.php?attachmentid=399934&stc=1&d=1477313274[MG] I did notice that the kerb is actually only 4 inches higher from the road now that the asphalt is down, so yeah it will be possible for cars to drive up onto it [/img]

It looks like the lane where they usually park is kept wider just for that

Chuchote

More seriously, all they need to do is put in wavy reflective plastic bollards along it; maybe that's the plan.

Raam

They marked some parking spots on the park side of the road this morning.

mrcheez

P_1 wrote: »

It looks like the lane where they usually park is kept wider just for that

Raam wrote: »

They marked some parking spots on the park side of the road this morning.

yup.. white lines now going down the left side in the original pic I posted.

mr spuckler

is that road open again now? traffic seemed very quiet on howth road through raheny this morning compared to the madness of last week.

Seanmk1

mrcheez wrote: »

Get a load of that bike lane width!! :pac:

Yup, loads of room for parking!

Chuchote

mrcheez wrote: »

yup.. white lines now going down the left side in the original pic I posted.

Wasn't the, er, bike lane on the left side in your picture?

Got a pic of the road with lane and parking lines?

mrcheez

Chuchote wrote: »

Wasn't the, er, bike lane on the left side in your picture?

Got a pic of the road with lane and parking lines?

I live to serve!

mrcheez

Chuchote wrote: »

Wasn't the, er, bike lane on the left side in your picture?

In pic one, I'm actually on the bike lane.. road is to the left.

In pic two I'm on the road... lines not yet painted on LHS of road.

In pic three I'm on the road cycling in the "parking" section of the road (lines now painted)

Chuchote

mrcheez wrote: »

In pic one, I'm actually on the bike lane.. road is to the left.

In pic two I'm on the road... lines not yet painted on LHS of road.

In pic three I'm on the road cycling in the "parking" section of the road (lines now painted)

So one lane (on left) is a bike lane, the next is parking, and the next two are driving?

mrcheez

Chuchote wrote: »

So one lane (on left) is a bike lane, the next is parking, and the next two are driving?

ok... so.. first pic:

LHS: asphalt area with white dashed lines = road for cars

RHS: (where I'm positioned when taking shot) The super-wide bike lane.

(and to the right of that is the white pedestrian path)

Best thing is for you to take a trip down to check it yourself.

mathie

mrcheez in the transition from your first to second pic it seems the bike lane and the pedestrian lanes cross paths? Is that right?
the bike lane is moved away from the road at that point and the pedestrian path is then closest to the road?

mrcheez

mathie wrote: »

mrcheez in the transition from your first to second pic it seems the bike lane and the pedestrian lanes cross paths? Is that right?
the bike lane is moved away from the road at that point and the pedestrian path is then closest to the road?

That section is still being built.

The bike lane will continue to the right of the small wall in the second pic, and I believe so will the pedestrian lane.

Then a second pedestrian lane appears on the inside of the wall.

*I think*... let me load up the video and double check

mrcheez

Kinda hard to tell in the dark light, but I think it does form a new path.

After this point the view is obstructed by cars/motorbikes so this is the closest shot

Chuchote

Deedsie wrote: »

Unless they put up bollards, cars, buses, taxi's, commercial vehicles will park on and damage the cycle lane.

The surface all along the N11 has been destroyed by the same carry one.

Yes; cycle lane bollards should be called Andrew Martins, since they prevent that kind of andrewmartins by motorists.

learn

Cars' road surface not as good as that of cycle track.

mrcheez

So looks like we won't have to worry so much about cars driving up on the new bike lane. It's pedestrians (joggers/dog-walkers especially) that will take ownership of the new lane... already seeing people using it for this purpose despite the bollards up and I can sort of understand why they think it's for walkers considering the width.

I reckon it will be a matter of weeks by the time we hear of the first cyclist caught in a dog-lead on this stretch.