Launch of Green Party campaign for Dublin Greenways Network

Doctor Bob

Thought this might tickle some fancies.

Tonight, 6:30 in the Wood Quay Venue.

Info here, including link to the Facebook event page and the Eventbrite page for (free) tickets.

I'll be there. Time for me to do something other than whinging on the Internet. :cool:

checky88

So this is just their proposal right?

mr spuckler

i saw this the other day alright.
do we have any further info on where exactly these greenways are proposed for? or is tonight the big reveal?

Doctor Bob

mr spuckler wrote: »

i saw this the other day alright.
do we have any further info on where exactly these greenways are proposed for? or is tonight the big reveal?

There's a map on the Eventbrite page that seems to show the Royal Canal, Grand Canal, Liffey, Dodder, S2S/East Coast Trail and the Santry River.

(Hope I haven't stolen Deputy Ryan's thunder.)

Seaswimmer

Doctor Bob wrote: »

There's a map on the Eventbrite page that seems to show the Royal Canal, Grand Canal, Liffey, Dodder, S2S/East Coast Trail and the Santry River.

(Hope I haven't stolen Deputy Ryan's thunder.)

Santry river is interesting. I work beside it and the old pedestrian infrastructure that brought people from the Old Swords Road under the M1 and into Clonshaugh is still there and passable (last time I checked)..

It would mean a pleasant diversion for anyone coming down the Old Swords Road and heading east towards Northside and beyond wouldn't have to negotiate the junction of M1/Coolock lane.

Weepsie

Hmm Santry River. I live right beside it. It's bordered for much of it by green fields on at least one side. Would be a nice peaceful route out towards Howth.

The Tolka river would be another good one to expand on surely, though that has a lot of building around it once out of blanchardstown

P_1

Weepsie wrote: »

Hmm Santry River. I live right beside it. It's bordered for much of it by green fields on at least one side. Would be a nice peaceful route out towards Howth.

The Tolka river would be another good one to expand on surely, though that has a lot of building around it once out of blanchardstown

Isn't the Tolka pretty much cycle pathed as much as it can be already? You have the park beside Ashtown, the one in Finglas and then another nice stretch to the east for a bit the other side of the Finglas Road. Then it's all built on till you get to Griffith Park where you have another nice stretch before it all gets built up again.

To the west of Ashtown there's no real need as you have the Royal Canal cycleway about 500m to the south.

Chuchote

P_1 wrote: »

Isn't the Tolka pretty much cycle pathed as much as it can be already? You have the park beside Ashtown, the one in Finglas and then another nice stretch to the east for a bit the other side of the Finglas Road. Then it's all built on till you get to Griffith Park where you have another nice stretch before it all gets built up again.

To the west of Ashtown there's no real need as you have the Royal Canal cycleway about 500m to the south.

Basically the idea is to use the riversides - the country's oldest roads - and the canalsides and the seaside, to make the beginning of an interconnecting network of cycleways around and across the city.

I'd be there, but I don't think I'll brave the rain; been sick for a couple of weeks and don't want to set it off again. My thoughts will be with you.

magicbastarder

My intention of attending has been somewhat hampered by managing to lock myself out of the house.

P_1

Quite an interesting proposal I have to say. One or two soapboxers there but that's par for the course I guess. One particular NIMBY from Sandymount did almost derail matters with something of a monologue. Two very interesting ideas for the railway bridges over the two estuaries in NCD that may be of interest to some folk around these parts.

One thing that perplexes me is the continued push to include a cycleway around Fairview though. There's a perfectly good path inside Fairview Park that with a bit of good lighting can be made perfectly safe and usable as a cycleway. No need to try shoehorn bikes into probably the busiest stretch of road bus wise in the city.

Chuchote

P_1 wrote: »

There's a perfectly good path inside Fairview Park that with a bit of good lighting can be made perfectly safe and usable as a cycleway. No need to try shoehorn bikes into probably the busiest stretch of road bus wise in the city.

Does the park shut gates at night or does it remain open? Is it safe at night?

P_1

Chuchote wrote: »

Does the park shut gates at night or does it remain open? Is it safe at night?

It stays open. At night it is currently rather poorly lit which is the main source of potential anti-social risk in my eyes. Having the main path through it lit properly 24/7 would rather mitigate that in my eyes. Of course, at night there would be significantly less traffic on the strand so that would be an option.

P_1

P_1 wrote: »

One particular NIMBY from Sandymount did almost derail matters with something of a monologue.

I couldn't determine what her point was. Don't build on the strand - okay, fair enough. What, then?

"I'm not against cycling, but how hard is it to just get off your bike and walk for fifty metres?" I could see the incredulity in everyone's eyes. Glad it wasn't just me.

Fair play to Eamon Ryan, though. The man has incredible patience and is very polite when handling things like this.

P_1

Deleted User wrote: »

I couldn't determine what her point was. Don't build on the strand - okay, fair enough. What, then?

"I'm not against cycling, but how hard is it to just get off your bike and walk for fifty metres?" I could see the incredulity in everyone's eyes. Glad it wasn't just me.

Fair play to Eamon Ryan, though. The man has incredible patience and is very polite when handling things like this.

I think a lot of people think of people whizzing along on road bikes when they think of cyclists, which wouldn't be the case with the greenways they are proposing.

Ryan put it well with his "MAMILs won't use this, they will be in the mountains" [sic] line.

cdaly_

P_1 wrote: »

Isn't the Tolka pretty much cycle pathed as much as it can be already? You have the park beside Ashtown, the one in Finglas and then another nice stretch to the east for a bit the other side of the Finglas Road. Then it's all built on till you get to Griffith Park where you have another nice stretch before it all gets built up again.

To the west of Ashtown there's no real need as you have the Royal Canal cycleway about 500m to the south.

This is only for a short distance before they diverge again at Blanchardstown. The Tolka goes on through Damastown, Clonee and Dunboyne. That's probably worth developing also.

P_1

P_1 wrote: »

Ryan put it well with his "MAMILs won't use this, they will be in the mountains" [sic] line.

Yeah, he's right, too. I only wear lycra because I feel pressured to go fast on the road.

P_1

cdaly_ wrote: »

This is only for a short distance before they diverge again at Blanchardstown. The Tolka goes on through Damastown, Clonee and Dunboyne. That's probably worth developing also.

Perhaps but with the wide empty bus lanes on the old N3 I'd have it as a low priority item. Will be nice to have but not urgent.

Doctor Bob

Deleted User wrote: »

Fair play to Eamon Ryan, though. The man has incredible patience and is very polite when handling things like this.

Perhaps a little too much patience, both with the lady in question and with some of the speakers, who should have been kept to their allocated time limits. But overall I found it quite informative.

fader123

P_1 wrote: »

It stays open. At night it is currently rather poorly lit which is the main source of potential anti-social risk in my eyes. Having the main path through it lit properly 24/7 would rather mitigate that in my eyes. Of course, at night there would be significantly less traffic on the strand so that would be an option.

Actually the entrance gates at the NE end of the park (opposite the Howth Road) are locked overnight and usually only opened after 8am. I can't understand why, as other gates are open overnight and this is a key commuting route (first entrance for cyclists coming from Howth Road and Clontarf cycleway).

Moflojo

I had to leave just as Eamon Ryan was beginning to speak about the Dodder Greenway, but I'm just wondering did anyone elaborate on 'How' the Greens intend to get the funding for this?

I think the overwhelming majority of people in the room were already on board with all of the proposals but I was really there to find out how the Greens intended to bring this to fruition. Did they outline a campaign or strategy at the end that I might have missed?

Budawanny

Moflojo wrote: »

I had to leave just as Eamon Ryan was beginning to speak about the Dodder Greenway, but I'm just wondering did anyone elaborate on 'How' the Greens intend to get the funding for this?

I think the overwhelming majority of people in the room were already on board with all of the proposals but I was really there to find out how the Greens intended to bring this to fruition. Did they outline a campaign or strategy at the end that I might have missed?

The planning signs for the Dodder greenway are already up in places. this appears to be along way further down the line than a notion.

P_1

Moflojo wrote: »

I had to leave just as Eamon Ryan was beginning to speak about the Dodder Greenway, but I'm just wondering did anyone elaborate on 'How' the Greens intend to get the funding for this?

I think the overwhelming majority of people in the room were already on board with all of the proposals but I was really there to find out how the Greens intended to bring this to fruition. Did they outline a campaign or strategy at the end that I might have missed?

He mentioned something about there being no capital funding items being on the agenda for the next strategic plan and that now was the ideal opportunity to get in the ear of the relevant people to get funding. Somewhat wishy washy in my eyes. A figure of €150 million was mentioned.

Moflojo

I was really impressed by the lady from Waterways Ireland, she was a ball of enthusiasm.

When she said she hoped her '12th Lock to 12th Lock' Canal Greenways would be built by 2019 I almost believed her!

expectationlost

Santry River Greenway Feasibillty study: DIT http://arrow.dit.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=beschsprep you have to search for and click that link yourself
https://www.dublincity.ie/councilmeetings/documents/s7353/Santry%20River%20Greenway%20Project%20Presentation%20to%20DCC%20Planning%20SPC%20-%20November%202016.pdf presentation

P_1

Moflojo wrote: »

I was really impressed by the lady from Waterways Ireland, she was a ball of enthusiasm.

When she said she hoped her '12th Lock to 12th Lock' Canal Greenways would be built by 2019 I almost believed her!

I'm interested in seeing the results of that architectural competition to find a solution to the Deep Sinking.

magicbastarder

how about a pontoon bridge stretching the length of the sinking?

Effects

Chuchote wrote: »

Does the park shut gates at night or does it remain open? Is it safe at night?

They shut the gate at the end closes to the sea but it's easy to get in as the fence is only three feet tall. I wouldn't say it's safe at night. There's often teens on stolen motorbikes in there. I've seen them aim at cyclists too just for the buzz.
Garda¡ seem to let them at it.

Chuchote

Moflojo wrote: »

I had to leave just as Eamon Ryan was beginning to speak about the Dodder Greenway, but I'm just wondering did anyone elaborate on 'How' the Greens intend to get the funding for this?

The funding was in place for this and other greenways and Shane Ross diverted into the black hole of the Luas building, in an act of… umm… genius… umm…

Effects wrote: »

They shut the gate at the end closes to the sea but it's easy to get in as the fence is only three feet tall. I wouldn't say it's safe at night. There's often teens on stolen motorbikes in there. I've seen them aim at cyclists too just for the buzz.
Garda¡ seem to let them at it.

Would be a good reason why the cycle path wouldn't go through, then.

magicbastarder

Chuchote wrote: »

the black hole of the Luas building

i would not have any reason to describe money spent on the luas as 'a black hole'?

tomasrojo

I always thought StepaShane's prioritisation of the Luas works was keeping one eye on an early election. The Green line runs through his constituency.

(Not that I begrudge the Luas money; it just shouldn't have been diverted from cycling.)