S2S Cycleway - northside

magicbastarder

partly because coaches are a much more efficient way of getting multiple people to an event than a car is.

Leroy42

magicbastarder wrote: »

partly because coaches are a much more efficient way of getting multiple people to an event than a car is.

Don't we already have a bus station? And buses that run from that bus station to close to the stadium?

The problem is not that buses are being used, it is that buses are being used and then the parking laws are being overridden to accommodate these private companies. And at the expense at the public (in this case particularly cyclists).

buffalo

Any word on the renovated baths/restaurant and whether they're still in breach of their planning conditions?

I was out that way this morning and watched a lad come to a neat stop when an exiting car pulled out in front of him with zero checking for approaching cyclists. Seems a shame that the nicest piece of cycling infrastructure in the entire city has this annoying access road with ambiguous rights of way.

Ferris

I had a quick look at the planning grant notice and it seems (amazingly) that DCC has not specified any charge, works or modification in relation to changing to the cycleway. There is a layout for a new carpark but from what I could see, no changes to the cycleway were drawn.

Therefore, if any changes are now required, which there are, its up to the council to do it. Its a disgrace that they have failed to mitigate the increased risk here, unforgivable really, and it would have been so easy to specify that the applicant should pay, after all the increased traffic is a result of their development.

Leroy42

Ferris wrote: »

and it would have been so easy to specify that the applicant should pay, after all the increased traffic is a result of their development.

IMO, there is something really fishy about the whole endeavour. The restaurant is open yet no parking plan is in place. The baths are no usable as apparently it costs too much and they didn't realise they would need insurance and life guards.

Ferris

There is a specification that if they do not provide access to the baths within 6 months they will be outside their planning.

I would imagine that this one will run on / court etc. I am more amazed that the planners didn't think to protect the public interest here - its so obvious - surely it must have come up during the visit to the site ( I am assuming that there were some due to the general nature of the development.

Leroy42

Ferris wrote: »

There is a specification that if they do not provide access to the baths within 6 months they will be outside their planning.

I would imagine that this one will run on / court etc. I am more amazed that the planners didn't think to protect the public interest here - its so obvious - surely it must have come up during the visit to the site ( I am assuming that there were some due to the general nature of the development.

Yes, access, but what does that even mean? Everything just seems so half-arsed. But the biggest issue is of course the impact on the public from what is essentially a new large car park and in/out roads without any planning or forethought.

mrcheez

Leroy42 wrote: »

they didn't realise they would need insurance and life guards.

Curious, why does the pool need lifeguards, but people are allowed to swim in the sea as they wish?

Leroy42

mrcheez wrote: »

Curious, why does the pool need lifeguards, but people are allowed to swim in the sea as they wish?

Of course they are, but this is a pool setting, just outdoors. Why would it be any different than any other public pool (I use public in that it is not limited to the owners only not that anyone can simply stroll (or jump) in).

I don't know the law in this area, the owners cited it, and insurance, as a reason why they couldn't open the pool yet. I just thought it was strange that this had come as a shock to them.

magicbastarder

took a spin out on this for the first time since the work completed. was surprised at how narrow it got in places, but also noticed than on older sections, especially on the town side of the wooden bridge, the grass has encroached quite a bit onto the cycle lane. not quite a foot in places, but enough to take a useful bit of extra width.

loyatemu

magicbastarder wrote: »

the grass has encroached quite a bit onto the cycle lane. not quite a foot in places, but enough to take a useful bit of extra width.

report it to them - http://www.fixyourstreet.ie/

loyatemu

I don't know if there's an equivalent thread for the southern S2S - does anyone know what's happening there? I know the Merrion Gates plan has gone back to the drawing board but that can't be an excuse to park the whole thing. I cycle home that route and parts of it are in rag order:

• The Merrion Road surface is very poor, even where there is a cycle lane
• the alternative through Blackrock Park can be very busy with pedestrians and the path beside Blackrock station is too narrow for 2 cyclists to pass each other.
• Strand Road has huge empty footpaths but no space for cycling when it's busy.

Whatever problems the northside path has, at least it exists.

mr spuckler

loyatemu wrote: »

I don't know if there's an equivalent thread for the southern S2S - does anyone know what's happening there? I know the Merrion Gates plan has gone back to the drawing board but that can't be an excuse to park the whole thing. I cycle home that route and parts of it are in rag order:

• The Merrion Road surface is very poor, even where there is a cycle lane
• the alternative through Blackrock Park can be very busy with pedestrians and the path beside Blackrock station is too narrow for 2 cyclists to pass each other.
• Strand Road has huge empty footpaths but no space for cycling when it's busy.

Whatever problems the northside path has, at least it exists.

I've no idea re Southside but think everyone that uses the Northside one acknowledges how superior it is relative to infrastructure in most other areas. what p1sses people off I think is that there was an opportunity to do a better job of it which they missed, and the chances are they might not learn lessons when doing further similar projects.

magicbastarder

one other thing that struck me is the profile of the kerb facing in to the cycle path (may have been discussed here already?)
if you clip it, instead of your wheel bouncing off it, it seems more likely to kick your wheel in from under you - or is that a concern?

loyatemu

mr spuckler wrote: »

I've no idea re Southside but think everyone that uses the Northside one acknowledges how superior it is relative to infrastructure in most other areas. what p1sses people off I think is that there was an opportunity to do a better job of it which they missed, and the chances are they might not learn lessons when doing further similar projects.

actually there's some updates on the latest southside proposals at http://s2s.ie/

a hodgepodge of compromise would be a fair description, with a lot of it beside busy roads and well away from the sea.

mrcheez

It always baffles me how pockmarked the road surface is on the south side leading from the city, compared to north/west sides.

I was considering taking a job down in Blackrock, but the awful road surface once I hit the south side just turned me off that prospect and I now won't consider anything further than the city centre.

There's nothing akin to the Howth Road quality wise, for example. Maybe its improved in last two/three years since I last ventured down.

monument

magicbastarder wrote: »

one other thing that struck me is the profile of the kerb facing in to the cycle path (may have been discussed here already?)
if you clip it, instead of your wheel bouncing off it, it seems more likely to kick your wheel in from under you - or is that a concern?

Google “forgoving kerbs” to see how it should be done.

Grassey

loyatemu wrote: »

the path beside Blackrock station is too narrow for 2 cyclists to pass each other.

Ah you'd be hard pressed to get 2 pedestrians to pass each other along there!

magicbastarder

monument wrote: »

Google “forgoving kerbs” to see how it should be done.

ah - it *is* a forgiving kerb they've installed. just that the angle struck me as being a bit acute.

loyatemu

Grassey wrote: »

Ah you'd be hard pressed to get 2 pedestrians to pass each other along there!

in the S2S proposal they want to take a bit of the garden of Deepwell to widen that bit.

There's nothing akin to the Howth Road quality wise, for example. Maybe its improved in last two/three years since I last ventured down.

It hasn't. It's strange, it's like every few metres theres a bit of road that has sunk, and it's worst in the cycle lane, and there's also loads of drain covers with damaged tarmac around the edges. On the plus side, the Blackrock Bypass cycle lanes are excellent, if only they could extend them all the way into Ballsbridge.

mathie

Pretty sure this driver didn't even attempt to look for cyclists this morning.

https://youtu.be/OdMYUaQp23M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdMYUaQp23M

Ferris

Kinda makes you feel ill watching that. In fairness to the driver, its a nightmare for all concerned due to bad design. He was a good way ahead making the turn but had to negotiate the bollards on the way in, also you were going well, he may not have realised

I find myself crossing that entrance on the bike without looking over my shoulder sometimes and then remembering it later on, makes you think if somebody was coming....

This needs to be addressed, which DCC councillor acts as a cycling advocate? They need to see vids like this.

mathie

Ferris wrote: »

Kinda makes you feel ill watching that. In fairness to the driver, its a nightmare for all concerned due to bad design. He was a good way ahead making the turn but had to negotiate the bollards on the way in, also you were going well, he may not have realised

I find myself crossing that entrance on the bike without looking over my shoulder sometimes and then remembering it later on, makes you think if somebody was coming....

This needs to be addressed, which DCC councillor acts as a cycling advocate? They need to see vids like this.

Yeah I didn't feel that I was remotely in danger at all.
I'd full visibility of the truck all the way.
I know there is a lot for him to contend with coming in there with the bollards and the poor surface.

Fully agree that something needs to be done before an "accident" happens.

brocbrocach

mathie wrote: »

Yeah I didn't feel that I was remotely in danger at all.
I'd full visibility of the truck all the way.
I know there is a lot for him to contend with coming in there with the bollards and the poor surface.

Fully agree that something needs to be done before an "accident" happens.

Yep, as turns in there go, it wasn't too bad. The worst are cars coming from the town side that have to zip across the oncoming lane and are concentrating on that aspect of the turn and then avoiding the bollard.

I've been turned across twice there already myself.

mrcheez

mathie wrote: »

Y
Fully agree that something needs to be done before an "accident" happens.

Curious, what would be the solution to this (assuming blocking traffic going in isn't going to happen)?

Traffic lights for bikes/cars? I don't think a "Yield" sign will sort it out.

Ferris

I have emailed Cllr. Ciaran Cuffe and linked that post mathie, hope you don't mind but he seems to have been influential in improving some aspects of the cycleway recently.

loyatemu

mrcheez wrote: »

Curious, what would be the solution to this (assuming blocking traffic going in isn't going to happen)?

Traffic lights for bikes/cars? I don't think a "Yield" sign will sort it out.

put the cyclepath on a ramp so traffic turning left has to slow down and yield.

mathie

mrcheez wrote: »

Curious, what would be the solution to this (assuming blocking traffic going in isn't going to happen)?

Traffic lights for bikes/cars? I don't think a "Yield" sign will sort it out.

A very good question.

Traffic lights with sensors are possibly the best option.
Default green for cyclists and change when cars want to come in and out.
But that leaves a few issues like cars waiting in the bus lane to come in.

Moving the bike path so it doesn't cross over the road is another one.
But then you'll have issues with people exiting their cars and walking on the bike lane.

30 metre high ramp on the bike lane (north and south) and Evil Knievel style jump over the car park.

A lot of options I suppose.

Rogue-Trooper

mathie wrote: »

Pretty sure this driver didn't even attempt to look for cyclists this morning.

https://youtu.be/OdMYUaQp23M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdMYUaQp23M

Never mind the truck, watching the video I actually ducked to the left as you passed that pole!!

Tenzor07

Rogue-Trooper wrote: »

Never mind the truck, watching the video I actually ducked to the left as you passed that pole!!

Maybe some H&S specialists on here could comment on the madness of having metal poles in the middle of a cycle lane? At this section and further up at the bus depot, at very least they should be brightly painted and have padding on them?