Cycle infrastructure planned for north Dublin

Seth Brundle

Looks like someone needs good PR advice - originally posted on Friday at the launch of the Hole in the Wall extension, Fingal and Dublin City mayors think it is a good idea to pose for a photo-op whilst holding their disposable coffee cups beside cars parked in the shiny new cycle lane...

https://twitter.com/seanaorodaigh/status/1469279282186887173

Effects

Where exactly is that road extension?

Seth Brundle

Here (although it's not on the map): https://www.google.com/maps/@53.4097578,-6.1613113,561m/data=!3m1!1e3

It joins from the spur in the above map to the junction of Drumnigh & Mayne Rds

Fingal Co Co page on it: https://www.fingal.ie/news/fingal-council-appoints-contractor-start-work-hole-wall-road-mayne-road-junction-upgrade

Larbre34

Jesus, the amount of wanky comments on twitter would make you puke.

The truck was pulling a coffee trailer supplying refreshments. The road wasn't even open to traffic yet at the time of the photo, as can clearly be seen by the black Audi parked sideways across the lane and the people standing around chatting.

The endless churlishness from the cycling lobby is one of the main reasons there is such push back, just for the sake of it.

ARX

Is the cycle lane able to take the weight of a truck without damage? The new cycle lanes on Lower Kilmacud Road near the Stillorgan Shopping Centre seem to be a thin layer of tarmac on top of a bed of sand, and they are already uneven. Would the weight of a lorry damage something like that?

Seth Brundle

The truck was pulling a coffee trailer supplying refreshments. The road wasn't even open to traffic yet at the time of the photo, as can clearly be seen by the black Audi parked sideways across the lane and the people standing around chatting.

The truck had to mount a kerb, cross a grass verge and then plonk itself on the cycle path. Why would they do this when they could have literally parked blocking the whole road like the Audi? There appears to be absolutely no reason for it to be parked there.

The simple answer is that it was there because that is the convention. "Can't be blocking the road - f*ck cyclists, sure they can go around me". Its the same across the country. Any cycling infrastructure is there to get people on bikes out of the way of drivers and it is down to bad planning and a complete ignoring of DMURS. Cyclists should be grateful for the tit-bits of infrastructure provided and stop getting into a strop if I block it for a while. It is because officially in Ireland we don't give a sh*t about tossers on bikes, ass your post pretty much confirms.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118318173#Comment_118318173

You used to be better at trolling

magicbastarder

mod note: if you think someone is trolling, report it. otherwise you're just going to start arguments.

Seth Brundle

Aah deadly...

https://twitter.com/naoiseomuiri/status/1474049904255414274?t=cmMkx0I6fvQpOgaqYjwI5w&s=19

cgcsb

The first condition being that the tender price in may is still valid. Well its not, left it way too long, costs have spiraled. I doubt this will happen tbh. But fingers crossed it will.

Larbre34

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118319166#Comment_118319166

Larbre34

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118370008#Comment_118370008

You're correct, there's not a snowballs that the tender process won't have to be rerun.

But, no reason construction shouldn't begin in the Autumn, if they get through the process efficiently.

cgcsb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118370211#Comment_118370211

Well it couldn't be doen efficiently this year and there hasn't been any reform of how the state/council functions so logically there'll be 0 progress next year also.

Squidgy Black

Independent are reporting that it’ll be April at the earliest before construction will begin on the C2CC route

https://m.independent.ie/regionals/dublin/northside/news/work-on-clontarf-to-city-centre-cycle-route-gets-green-light-41205466.html

cgcsb

That's really desperate

Tombo2001

On a related note, are we coming up for two years that they've been putting the Griffith Avenue cycle lane in place. I'd say the M50 got built quicker.

magicbastarder

yeah, looks like a bad compromise all round. looks like bikes will have to shimmy through it?

Seth Brundle

"Stupid is as stupid does"

https://twitter.com/IrishCycle/status/1480682270247763974

Larbre34

"Most of the route had Part 8 planning approval".

Interesting then that the same City Council is currently appealing a judgement against it concerning another location, where its failure to get that level of necessary approval, resulted in the Courts putting a stop to their work.

Gaz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118316065#Comment_118316065

This new junction has a path/cycle track beneath it that goes along the river behind the various apartment blocks. The path continues but access is currently blocked with temporary fencing. Checking Google maps it looks like this could be easily extended to link up with the Baldoyle/Portmarnock greenway.

I cannot find any plans or details online however. Anybody know whats happening or planned there ? Would be a great addition to the area.

Seth Brundle

https://twitter.com/DublinCommuters/status/1481762002607476743?t=3bLYAmstzVwuGLcI7fmnCw&s=19

magicbastarder

heh, i just watched that and came in here to post it. fair play to jimmy guerin, not the source i'd have been expecting for that input.

Peregrine

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118471447#Comment_118471447

This is from 2020 during the New Street debacle:

https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/prominent-independent-councillor-jimmy-guerin-18660468

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118471334#Comment_118471334

Holy crap, that was awesome.

Not only Cllr Guerins photos, but the widespread acknowledgement of their responsibilities wrt pedestrians, PWD and cyclists.

They pulled no punches on highlighting that to support that motion was to support illegal parking on bike lanes and paths over protecting vulnerable users of the road.

Swear to god that clip gives me hope that things have finally, FINALLY changed......in Dublin anyway.

Galway will be along any decade now

magicbastarder

i'd say it's infuriating to that core of anti-cyclist sentiment in howth, too.

TheHouseIRL

Just watched the video of the meeting, ironic that the youngest councillor has the most outdated views. She at one stage, after another attendee had explained the hierarchy of road users in terms of vulnerability, had the neck to say "There are people in those cars that are parked. The cars don't just drive around and park themselves", as if it was something that would strengthen her motion.

Coming from a member of the Climate Action, Biodiversity and Environment SPC, utter madness.

Delighted to see some common sense in that meeting.

Ferris

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118472405#Comment_118472405

What 'core of anti-cyclist sentiment in Howth'?

Much the same as the core of anti-cycling sentiment anywhere I'd wager.

Effects

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118473651#Comment_118473651

People in Howth actually put up signs complaining about cyclists. Do you get that in every other anti-cycling area? I imagine that's what he's getting at.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118473651#Comment_118473651

i think you've already answered the question you seem to have posed at me.

Squidgy Black

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118473167#Comment_118473167

In shock at how immature that response was. Sounded like rather than listening to why everyone was against the motion, it was taken as a personal attack or something. Crazy stuff.

Etc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118473748#Comment_118473748

Signs were put up in Howth, was it people or an individual, nobody knows, so it’s a generalisation to say there is a core of people. I live in Sutton and cycle around the area including the whole of Howth regularly and see no more issues there than anywhere else I cycle

Dowee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118473830#Comment_118473830

Furthermore, there were signs up in relation to Road Racing / MAMIL / "Tour De France" (or whatever ridiculous label you wish to use) cyclists. Not cyclists in general. It's about time this "cyclist" image was changed in people's mindsets. They are people on bikes, the majority of whom are looking to get get from A to B, safely.

If someone put up a "No Boy Racers" sign in an area, would the area be seen as anti motorist?

Ferris

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118473830#Comment_118473830

That would be my own experience.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118473793#Comment_118473793

If you refer to the opposition to the Sutton cycle lanes from the discussed vested interests, i'd imagine there would be similar opposition to any such project, I know there was to the cycle lanes in Baldoyle for example, not to mention the reported objection to schemes in Malahide / Sandymount / Dundrum / Dun Laoghaire etc. There's always going to be objections to change, be them genuine or from cranks, its not specific to any one area.

MangleBadger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118474115#Comment_118474115

Bit harsh to compare boy racers to people on road bikes wearing lycra.

mr spuckler

The Jimmy Guerin contribution was excellent, I'll be emailing him today to thank him along with the other councillors who spoke so well.

I'm worried though about the overall scheme and will be cycling it with my 5yo tomorrow to give it a closer look. From a cycle that way on Wednesday night it looks like the 2 main junctions (Sutton cross and Offington park) will remain completely unprotected, as will various stretches along the way such as outside Burrow national school and the dangerous (for cyclists) bend just before the Offington park junction. Hopefully that's just going to be in the short term but for now it means it will remain incomplete.

The section I mentioned above outside Burrow national school where they won't be installing bollards - it was lined with parked cars on Wednesday night, despite all of the other bollards having been installed.

Dowee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118474293#Comment_118474293

I came back here to potentially edit that as the exact same thing just occured to me :). Ah well, I'm sure point will get the point!

For the record, I too cycle a road bike in lycra, as well as other bikes, in other clothes.

MangleBadger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118474620#Comment_118474620

People on fixies. They're the real boy racers...

Ferris

I was cursing the bollards on my cycle home last night, certain people are given parking inside them (builders working on a house and a taxi driver at the GP's) and, due to the tight spacing of the bollards, you have to slow right down and exit the cycle lane into traffic. Net result is, without enforcement, the section is actually more dangerous than it was.

Aside from that, fair play to Jimmy Guerin, thats great stuff he did!

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118474252#Comment_118474252

i had never suggested howth was unique.

but now you mention it, except for the posters on two occasions, and do i remember that thumb tacks were strewn across the road near the cemetery when a cycling event was passing a few years back?

Etc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118474701#Comment_118474701

100% this, happened to me last week on the Baldoyle road coming up on the Pizza shop/Elphin pub, the pizza delivery guys are parked on the path as usual but because of the bollards I couldn’t move out as I normally would and had to slow right down and manoeuvre around the bollards while trying to get into the flow of traffic.

I’ve also noticed a couple of broken bollards outside people’s driveways where they need to come out further onto the road to turn into the lane. It looked like they were deliberately broken. I can see more of that happening as well.

Ferris

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118474921#Comment_118474921

I suspect that the core of anti-cycling is extremely small, perhaps 1 person.

magicbastarder

hopefully; i do know of others in howth who curse cyclists but i would be very surprised to learn take the sort of actions described.

Seth Brundle

Outside Howth Presbyterian Church today where there apparently is not enough room to park in their car park...

https://twitter.com/r0thar/status/1482751464141377537?t=GkMvlfEui9Ha4gekFELvTQ&s=19

Duckjob

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118487096#Comment_118487096

So basically just can't be arsed to park a) legally and b) considerately....

Effects

I think they are deliberately parking on the road now to prove a point. I passed about 40 minutes before service on Sunday, one car on the road and none in the carpark.

mr spuckler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118491127#Comment_118491127

I'm not sure - they've literally always parked on the road (well footpath + cycle lane really) in the years I've been passing by.

mr spuckler

I cycled out that way on Saturday with my 5yo leading the way and 2yo in the trailer behind me. As expected the unprotected stretches proved uncomfortable at best with parked cars in the cycle lane outside Burrow national school as I'd seen on Wednesday night. The stretch from there to where the bollards start again near the church is particularly long.

On the other hand there is a significant level of comfort to be had from such simple plastic wands where they have been installed.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118491127#Comment_118491127

as mr spuckler mentioned, it's not exactly deliberate when it's just continuation of previous behaviour; and they have to know that this will backfire on them if - as has already been publicised much wider than that particular tweet - they don't use their own car park, it makes them look like hypocrites.

Larbre34

Hypocrisy will backfire on them?

Don't know too many adherent Presbyterians, do you?

ARX

The Bible tells them to use the car park:

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat

Matthew 7:13-14