DCC revised quays cycleway proposition

Pepe LeFrits

http://www.thejournal.ie/dublin-cycling-lanes-3010696-Oct2016/

Jeez. I'm all for making the city more bicycle friendly but I wouldn't exactly call this proposal a solution. Looks like a cheap and very nasty fudge. Why don't they remove the river side path on that stretch instead? It's rarely used.

However, a snap poll on Twitter by the Dublin Chamber of Commerce this week indicated strong support for the new plan to ban private traffic along a particularly narrow stretch of the quays.

Not a poll carried out among anyone living in the area I'd imagine.

Re-diverting one of the city's main traffic arteries (the private part at least) up Blackhall place to that horrible North King St junction to join up with all of the traffic coming in from the north west... can't see any problems here at all. Sure Queen St is basically empty all the time anyway... /sarcasm

Carlos Orange

Should definitely divert a load of traffic through there and ruin it for locals so that a couple of commuting cyclists have a clear run.

The_Valeyard

Crazy idea. Completely bonkers.

Howard the Duck

They could redevelop the boardwalk into a cycle lane and expand it further down to Hueston.It's hardly used by anyone except addicts and a few tourists. Just an idea

Pepe LeFrits

http://irishcycle.com/2016/10/06/mixed-views-on-removing-cars-off-quays-for-bus-and-bicycle-priority/

Nothing to be formally decided until Nov 23 at least if I'm understanding that correctly. Think I better pen a letter in the meantime.

schemingbohemia

Howard the Duck wrote: »

They could redevelop the boardwalk into a cycle lane and expand it further down to Hueston.It's hardly used by anyone except addicts and a few tourists. Just an idea

They can't - how would you get around the bridges? They're protected structures and the pinch points are right at some of the bridges.

Howard the Duck

schemingbohemia wrote: »

They can't - how would you get around the bridges? They're protected structures and the pinch points are right at some of the bridges.

Yea good point , I really didn't think it through did I.

mvt

The plan covers all modes of transport-just not in the sequence that will please everyone.
I think its a great idea, less cars make for a more livable city imo.

Carlos Orange

mvt wrote: »

I think its a great idea, less cars make for a more livable city imo.

The cars aren't being magicked out of existence. They are being rerouted through a residential area to suit people who commute from outside of the city.

mvt

psinno wrote: »

The cars aren't being magicked out of existence. They are being rerouted through a residential area to suit people who commute from outside of the city.

The less attractive you make it to drive & at the same time offering viable alternatives(priority public transport & dedicated cycling lanes) should reduce the amount of cars.

You're not going to please everyone but as someone who cycles every day this plan makes me happy

Pepe LeFrits

psinno wrote: »

The cars aren't being magicked out of existence. They are being rerouted through a residential area to suit people who commute from outside of the city.

Indeed, I emailed the transport committee Councillors about it yesterday. It's going to increase congestion in Stoneybatter, Queen Street receives a /lot/ of traffic as it is, and the new eastbound route passes near the D7 educate together primary school. Will have to wait and see what happens but it looks like it's going to mean major headaches for D7.

Carlos Orange

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

it looks like it's going to mean major headaches for D7.

I suppose it is too much to expect local councillors to prioritise residents.

Pepe LeFrits

In fairness a good few of the councillors seem opposed to the plan.

Daydreaming here, but wouldn't it be cool if they dug down and put in an underground bus/taxi/car tunnel from the bridge at Heuston to the IFSC. Put in a few exits, a few underground bus stops and pedestrianise the entire north quays...

schemingbohemia

psinno wrote: »

I suppose it is too much to expect local councillors to prioritise residents.

This post is why good things for the City (and those visiting the city, for work or leisure) tend not to happen. NIMBYISM.

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

In fairness a good few of the councillors seem opposed to the plan.

Daydreaming here, but wouldn't it be cool if they dug down and put in an underground bus/taxi/car tunnel from the bridge at Heuston to the IFSC. Put in a few exits, a few underground bus stops and pedestrianise the entire north quays...

People are talking as if the streets concerned were paradises where one could stroll down, there is plenty of traffic on those streets anyway. You are daydreaming and being completely unrealistic, a billion euro plan so that a couple of streets have slightly less traffic on them.

trellheim

In order for cycling and public transport have a dedicated lane each on the quays , what measures would you propose along Ellis Quay and Arran Quay ?

Carlos Orange

schemingbohemia wrote: »

This post is why good things for the City (and those visiting the city, for work or leisure) tend not to happen. NIMBYISM.

Strangely there is no acronym for people who favour proposals that benefit them but they are unaffected by the downsides.
The city isn't just a leisure destination, people live there.

schemingbohemia

psinno wrote: »

Strangely there is no acronym for people who favour proposals that favour them but they are unaffected by the downsides.

That's because there's no need. They're in favour of the wider community and not shutting something down that will benefit huge numbers and effect perhaps less than a thousand people.

Pepe LeFrits

Ciaran Cuffe responded, fair play. Haven't had a chance to read through it yet but there's a good bit of information of the various proposals.

schemingbohemia wrote: »

This post is why good things for the City (and those visiting the city, for work or leisure) tend not to happen. NIMBYISM.

Alternatively it could be locals who actually have a good knowledge of the streets effected raising legitimate concerns that 'good things for the city' might not necessarily be good things for the city.

You are daydreaming and being completely unrealistic, a billion euro plan so that a couple of streets have slightly less traffic on them.

Gosh, really?

Carlos Orange

schemingbohemia wrote: »

That's because there's no need. They're in favour of the wider community and not shutting something down that will benefit huge numbers and effect perhaps less than a thousand people.

I suspect slightly more than a thousand people will be impacted by the changes.

BeerNut

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

Daydreaming here, but wouldn't it be cool if they dug down and put in an underground bus/taxi/car tunnel from the bridge at Heuston to the IFSC. Put in a few exits, a few underground bus stops and pedestrianise the entire north quays...

I have a cheaper daydream: wouldn't it be cool if people who don't have to drive a car to the city centre stopped driving a car to the city centre.

Carlos Orange

BeerNut wrote: »

I have a cheaper daydream: wouldn't it be cool if people who don't have to drive a car to the city centre stopped driving a car to the city centre.

I don't think it is practical yet to ban bicycles and cars in the city center and have everyone transported by automated driverless taxis.

BeerNut

psinno wrote: »

I don't think it is practical yet to ban bicycles and cars in the city center and have everyone transported by automated driverless taxis.

OK, but that's a non sequitur.

Pepe LeFrits

BeerNut wrote: »

I have a cheaper daydream: wouldn't it be cool if people who don't have to drive a car to the city centre stopped driving a car to the city centre.

Could happen eventually I think. It'd be fab to have the north quays completely free of traffic though, there's a lot of potential there.

Reading through the details of the DCC report Ciaran Cuffe sent me; option 5 which was rejected (which was basically to have the cycle path follow the LUAS track as far as Church street and join the Quays there), seems less intrusive than option 7. It involves changes to Croppies acre though and I'm not quite sure what it means by that. Need to look through it a bit more but I've left my glasses at home and I can't squint at my phone any more. Later...

Carlos Orange

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

option 5 which was rejected (which was basically to have the cycle path follow the LUAS track as far as Church street and join the Quays there), seems less intrusive than option 7. It involves changes to Croppies acre though and I'm not quite sure what it means by that.

Maybe it just means converting the path nearest the green for cyclists only. I think it is usually pretty empty there apart from the Luas stop.

trellheim

Reading through the details of the DCC report Ciaran Cuffe sent me; option 5 which was rejected (which was basically to have the cycle path follow the LUAS track as far as Church street and join the Quays there), seems less intrusive than option 7. It involves changes to Croppies acre though and I'm not quite sure what it means by that. Need to look through it a bit more but I've left my glasses at home and I can't squint at my phone any more. Later...

Option 5 leaves west bound cyclists staring into an oncoming traffic lane at Church St , massive risk assessment

Dandelion6

psinno wrote: »

Strangely there is no acronym for people who favour proposals that benefit them but they are unaffected by the downsides.
The city isn't just a leisure destination, people live there.

I live on Queen Street, I support the proposal. There's already so much traffic here I don't think the additional amount will make much of a practical difference. Whereas the cycle route will have a hugely positive impact on the city overall.

entropi

trellheim wrote: »

In order for cycling and public transport have a dedicated lane each on the quays , what measures would you propose along Ellis Quay and Arran Quay ?

I would support the proposed measure of diverting vehicular private traffic away from those quays, to later rejoin when its safer. There's barely enough room for two traffic lanes on both quays as it is. Once you reach James Joyce bridge, its pretty narrow until opening back up just outside the Four Courts. It also feels a bit dodgy standing on either end of the bridge at Queen Street waiting to cross, considering there's very little room to stand at or to walk alongside the river on Arran and Ellis Quays.

Dandelion6 wrote: »

I live on Queen Street, I support the proposal. There's already so much traffic here I don't think the additional amount will make much of a practical difference. Whereas the cycle route will have a hugely positive impact on the city overall.

Agreed. I grew up very close to this area and know the roads incredibly well, still passing along them a few times a week. There is already enough traffic on these streets, a few thousand more vehicles a day won't make much of a difference. The resulting change though, will really improve safety for cyclists.

The reality is, that this is a pretty old city with lots of narrow streets that's just not built for today's modern traffic and population requirements. Some adjustments have to be made, and not everybody will be happy about it.