S2S Cycleway - northside

odyssey06

magicbastarder wrote: »

are there any by-laws visible in the park regarding cycling through it (max speed, etc.)? i wonder if there's an ideological issue within the council about providing the existing cycle track in the park purely as a recreational one, which they're being pressured to turn into a commuting one, which might explain the gate locking - the parks department may want to retain the park purely for recreational use. that's just a guess, though.

Could it have anyting to do with the cycle path through the park is unlit?
Could be concerns about safety.
They may favour expanding the cycle path on the roadside under street lights for that reason.

Leroy42

magicbastarder wrote: »

are there any by-laws visible in the park regarding cycling through it (max speed, etc.)? i wonder if there's an ideological issue within the council about providing the existing cycle track in the park purely as a recreational one, which they're being pressured to turn into a commuting one, which might explain the gate locking - the parks department may want to retain the park purely for recreational use. that's just a guess, though.

Yeah, I thought of that, but the gate is open at the other end and there is another open entrance a 100 yards away. So it isn't stopping cyclists using the park in anyway. Seems to be nothing more than a relic to the past when it is someones job to unlock the gate.

I've even seen people with buggies getting to the end to find the gate locked and having to turn around. I can see no justification for it.

Leroy42

odyssey06 wrote: »

Could it have anyting to do with the cycle path through the park is unlit?
Could be concerns about safety.
They may favour expanding the cycle path on the roadside under street lights for that reason.

But again, surely the answer is to install lights in the park. That would improve safety for everyone. Why would we want to continue with a dark pathway for people walking?

odyssey06

Leroy42 wrote: »

But again, surely the answer is to install lights in the park. That would improve safety for everyone. Why would we want to continue with a dark pathway for people walking?

Unfortunately I think it'd take more than just the lights in the park to make it safe at night...

magicbastarder

the factor that it's unlit might raise concerns about safety not just from an antisocial behaviour point of view, but the fact that you've an increased chance of colliding with a tree if you hit a fallen branch, etc.

magicbastarder

must see if i can find out how many parks like this, run by the council, are open at night. many of them are locked completely.

brocbrocach

odyssey06 wrote: »

Could it have anyting to do with the cycle path through the park is unlit?
Could be concerns about safety.
They may favour expanding the cycle path on the roadside under street lights for that reason.

That's true but still it takes the vast majority of cycle traffic in a very efficient, pleasant and safe detour.
What's left, at night-time and winter evening, is low-volume.
By far and away the easiest solution is to "push" the pedestrian walkway (that runs alongside the road, the "outside" cycle lane and the trees) over the fence into the park. Obviously lighting and safety issues would have to be looked at but it wouldn't be hard and it'd be far far easier to do than anything else. That would give a proper space to both pedestrians and cyclists. The park would lose a meter or two round it's edge but it'd be a small price to pay.
Actually the main problem with it is getting onto it when coming out from town. That would also appy to any new cyclelane built alongside the park though. It probably means adjusting the lights at Annesley bridge.

magicbastarder

Leroy42 wrote: »

But again, surely the answer is to install lights in the park. That would improve safety for everyone. Why would we want to continue with a dark pathway for people walking?

i would again guess that the parks department would not consider someone cycling in the dark as a recreational cyclist, but as a commuting cyclist - and since there's a lit cycle/bus lane past the park, they're already catered for.

plus, how easy is it to light a tree lined avenue, without damaging the trees. could be quite fiddly.

Fighting Tao

I never even knew there was a route through the park until this issue raised its head and I've gone via the bus lane in fairview a couple of dozen times.

Rogue-Trooper

Fastway Couriers finding new uses for the new cycle path yesterday evening (despite having loads of space on the opposite side of the road to pull in).



Capture.JPG

mrcheez

Rogue-Trooper wrote: »

Fastway Couriers finding new uses for the new cycle path yesterday evening (despite having loads of space on the opposite side of the road to pull in).



Capture.JPG

Report them to FastWay ?

Or I'll do it if you don't have time... let me know

Tenzor07

mrcheez wrote: »

Report them to FastWay ?

Or I'll do it if you don't have time... let me know

I believe the couriers who drive Fastway branded vans are all franchisees so Fastway would have limited means to reprimand them...

And I guess if you call the driver himself then typically speaking he'd be less than civil i'm sure..

Mercian Pro

Was on the cycle path last night and it, and the road, are totally without lighting for the full length of St Anne's park. It's particularly bad on the section away from the road near the causeway. Luckily the guy walking along it was smoking a cigarette as my light didn't pick him out.
It's taking them ages to commission the new lights and even the old ones were out of action on both sides of the road. Any idea how long it's been like this?

Rogue-Trooper

mrcheez wrote: »

Report them to FastWay ?

Or I'll do it if you don't have time... let me know

Tenzor07 wrote: »

I believe the couriers who drive Fastway branded vans are all franchisees so Fastway would have limited means to reprimand them.

Yep, the van says "This business is independantly owned" on the back. For this reason I didn't think it would be worthwhile chasing Fastway.

mrcheez

Mercian Pro wrote: »

Was on the cycle path last night and it, and the road, are totally without lighting for the full length of St Anne's park. It's particularly bad on the section away from the road near the causeway. Luckily the guy walking along it was smoking a cigarette as my light didn't pick him out.
It's taking them ages to commission the new lights and even the old ones were out of action on both sides of the road. Any idea how long it's been like this?

I'd say the impetus was to get the lane open in time for the Lord Mayor to cut the ribbon, but they've cut back on a lot of staff attending the development since then.

Priority seems to be the waterworks judging by all the drain work going on.

Raam

mrcheez wrote: »

Report them to FastWay ?

Or I'll do it if you don't have time... let me know

https://twitter.com/fastwayireland

JustAMoment121

The S2S Cycleway addition near North Bull was pretty nice when I tried it out recently. I also found out that bicycles aren't allowed to cycle over the wooden bridge according to Dublin Port bye-laws, but that's another story...


With regards to the trees in Fairview, the cycle path going through the park itself is really only of use when people are cycling from Clontarf into town. In the opposite direction and coming from Malahide Road, it seems useless to me.

magicbastarder

not sure if it's worth starting a new thread about this, but i'll shoehorn this in here; got this email from dublin cycling campaign.
it's a little north of the section in the thread title.

A chairde,

Fingal County Council is organising information evenings in relation to the proposal for a freeway along the coast from Sutton to Malahide. They will be on

Tuesday 17th October 3.30 to 7.30pm in Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links
Wednesday 18th October 3.30 to 7.30pm in Malahide Library
Thursday 19th October 4.15 to 7.30pm in Baldoyle Library.

The consultants have been given a brief to produce a high quality amenity greenway along the coast. A previous outline design was rejected by the National Transport Authority for not providing a sufficiently high level of service. It will be part of the Fingal Coastal Way, leading on from the Sutton to Sandycove route around Dublin Bay, and connecting to the planned route across Broadmeadow Estuary from Malahide to Donabate.

The Baldoyle to Portmarnock section has been taken first, separately and is expected to go to An Bord Pleanála and formal public consultation, probably in November.

This informal consultation will look at the sections south and north of that stretch:
-from Sutton Creek and Sutton Cross to the green belt north of Baldoyle and
-from the Sluice River south of Portmarnock to the railway line at Malahide Estuary.

The purpose of the information meetings is to set out the scope of the project and to start the discussion with local people and visitors of the issues, challenges and opportunities in designing the Greenway. All are welcome.

This email is going to all Dublin Cycling Campaign members in north city and county​. If you want to get involved in this or any Campaign issues, just contact info@dublincycling.ie. We encourage all our members to be active and get involved if they can.

Please pass this information on to anyone else who might be interested!

Lt Dan

I have lived in Dublin for over 10 years or so, mainly in the Dublin 5-Dublin 13 areas. Gorgeous region, and Sutton-Howth close to it. I enjoy walking when bored and have walked from Artane into Sutton and Howth and even up to Portmarknock and Malahide, even once walked as far as Swords SC (obviously jumped on the Dart when knackered) I work right bang in the city center , but I think, if I cycled I could manage to get into work without going near O'Connell Street or the lower part of Clontarf , but then, North Circular Road is busy too

Frankly, for years I have avoided getting a bike because it looked like too much hassle (No issues to cycle in my home county, even the odd occasion on the duel carriageway cough)

But, now, with having just about every of gob****es on steroids spending more time taking selfies and hogging up the equipment in the gym (one thing for girls to do it, but men? Jesus, men of today are soft) I have enough of the gym, I want to cycle.

I have watched some youtube videos of cycling around the Clontarf area and that cycle lane and there looked like a few close moments.
But, with Howth, Phoenix Park (which has its own issues) looks like cycling is a great way to get fit and frankly just to go for a spin. St Ann'e Park is ridiculously beautiful and I might not have bothered to notice it until recently but for my intention to get into Cycling (just scouting ideal routes)

From Howth to Clontarf cycle way ( say, the turn to the Howth Road near the Church / Fairview) and St Anne's Park itself (the straight, at least) , is there an ideal time in the early mornings on Saturday and Sunday to go for a spin /work out without having to worry about too many pedestrians on the cycle way and light enough traffic? I know from walking home from the city center after monumental nights of debauchery that the city center and roads going out of it are calm around (least allows a cyclist to go at a pace they want) 6-8 am and then bang all is busy

It does not sound like cycling along that route for work out purposes is worth it later on in the day.(obviously causal spins, no issue)

What routes to the ahem, "Lance Armstrong wannabes" do? , go out the airport way? take to road from Portmarnock to Malahide etc? Wicklow Mountains area (even then some of those trails are suppose to be no nos)

The purpose of this post is that I am very new to the whole scene , and I am just researching the right routes before doing anything. Just want to get the dos and don't sorted.

Rogue-Trooper

Yaaaay!! The lighting on the stretch in front of St Anne's park has finally been turned on.

Bout bleedin' time too!

Doeshedare

magicbastarder wrote: »

not sure if it's worth starting a new thread about this, but i'll shoehorn this in here; got this email from dublin cycling campaign.
it's a little north of the section in the thread title.

I went to Baldoyle library. What they showed were possible routes from Sutton Dart station to Malahide estuary. They didnt cover Baldoyle to Portmarnock because that is a separate plan (a cycle path in the fields with a Toucan crosssing just before the roundabout at the end of the Baldoyle estuary).
When I say possible routes it does generally follow the road/coastline but there is the possibility of a lot of crossing back and forth from the coast side to the land side and back. I made the point that I dont really have any problem cycling on road from the roundabout to the estuary and for the kind of cycling I do (spins out to NCD) I am not likely to want to cross the road multiple times esp given that cars will have their usual ascendancy.

Lt Dan wrote: »

From Howth to Clontarf cycle way ( say, the turn to the Howth Road near the Church / Fairview) and St Anne's Park itself (the straight, at least) , is there an ideal time in the early mornings on Saturday and Sunday to go for a spin /work out without having to worry about too many pedestrians on the cycle way and light enough traffic? I know from walking home from the city center after monumental nights of debauchery that the city center and roads going out of it are calm around (least allows a cyclist to go at a pace they want) 6-8 am and then bang all is busy

It does not sound like cycling along that route for work out purposes is worth it later on in the day.(obviously causal spins, no issue)

What routes to the ahem, "Lance Armstrong wannabes" do? , go out the airport way? take to road from Portmarnock to Malahide etc? Wicklow Mountains area (even then some of those trails are suppose to be no nos)

The purpose of this post is that I am very new to the whole scene , and I am just researching the right routes before doing anything. Just want to get the dos and don't sorted.

Bit late to reply to this. Clontarf cycle path I use to commute and early morning its fine for speed, the later it gets the slower you should go out of consideration.
Howth is a great for doing laps or repeats as training. The graveyard side is generally quieter (except for funerals and kids football at Howth Celtic).
Then as you get fitter North County Dublin is accessible via Malahide or the airport with the roads going north to Naul or Garristown and beyond. Its easy to navigate too as it is almost a grid or north/south or east/west roads

Rogue-Trooper wrote: »

Yaaaay!! The lighting on the stretch in front of St Anne's park has finally been turned on.

Bout bleedin' time too!

I presume this means they have decluttered the footpath too which will help us all!

Rogue-Trooper

Doeshedare wrote: »

I presume this means they have decluttered the footpath too which will help us all!

No, the plastic barriers are still around all the lamp posts but one thing at a time, eh.....??!! :rolleyes:

mr spuckler

Rogue-Trooper wrote: »

No, the plastic barriers are still around all the lamp posts but one thing at a time, eh.....??!! :rolleyes:

the work was only done yesterday, so the barriers are there protecting the fresh concrete from where the lamp posts were removed. there was an open backed truck there this morning after 9am which seemed to be loaded with bollards and those plastic barriers, so hopefully that means they're being removed today.

mrcheez

Rogue-Trooper wrote: »

Yaaaay!! The lighting on the stretch in front of St Anne's park has finally been turned on.

Bout bleedin' time too!

Its been on for a few months now

Mercian Pro

Doeshedare wrote: »

I went to Baldoyle library. What they showed were possible routes from Sutton Dart station to Malahide estuary. They didnt cover Baldoyle to Portmarnock because that is a separate plan (a cycle path in the fields with a Toucan crosssing just before the roundabout at the end of the Baldoyle estuary).
When I say possible routes it does generally follow the road/coastline but there is the possibility of a lot of crossing back and forth from the coast side to the land side and back. I made the point that I dont really have any problem cycling on road from the roundabout to the estuary and for the kind of cycling I do (spins out to NCD) I am not likely to want to cross the road multiple times esp given that cars will have their usual ascendancy.

Made the same point when I went out to Malahide to see the drawings. Depending on what combination of options they eventually select, there could be a few or over a dozen road crossings involved. Hopefully they will try to minimise these as many of us won't be too keen to stop and cross every few hundred metres. There are still a few days left to view the drawings and make comments online at https://consult.fingal.ie/en/consultation/sutton-malahide-greenway

magicbastarder

what was prompting the need for crossings? land ownership issues, or infrastructural ones, etc.?

mrcheez

are the walls still going to get sliced before they are capped? I see the wall heights change as you go along.

mr spuckler

mrcheez wrote: »

are the walls still going to get sliced before they are capped? I see the wall heights change as you go along.

that's the theory anyway - then again it was supposed to start in July iirc.

Mercian Pro

magicbastarder wrote: »

what was prompting the need for crossings? land ownership issues, or infrastructural ones, etc.?

On different sections of the route there are easier, simpler, less disruptive (to motorists or residents), and cheaper options. The trouble is these aren't consistently on one side or the other.

mr spuckler

coming in this morning the path was the frostiest I've seen it this year, particularly near the causeway and then further in on Alfie Byrne road.

what the frost showed up though was all the tyre tracks from people using the path this morning and there really were sh1t loads, particularly city-bound it's great to see how many people use it, even in slightly less favorable conditions.

am also finding these days that I usually pass against the same people each morning - them heading out of town and me in and we now kinda know each other to see and greet accordingly