Nearly a generation after its initial planning, there will be a new segregated cycle route constructed. It’s going to run from Blackrock all the way to the bathing spot known as Forty Foot, in the Sandycove area of south Dublin.
The City Council of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown plans to put in a one-way automobile system along a coastal route. It’s doing this in response to a serious shift in alignment towards cycling and walking by many citizens during the global pandemic.
Work on this route of just over 3.5 kilometers is to begin next month. The completion is expected to take nearly a month, although particular phases of a temporary cycle route are going to open earlier than this as segments are finished.
This path is going to necessitate a new one-way vehicle system to be put in place for any autos traveling Marine Parade, Windsor Terrace, Queen’s Road, and Seapoint Avenue.
Traffic is not going to be able to access the parking lot nearest the East Pier from Queen’s Road any longer. Instead, access to that lot and other parking spaces around the harbor is going to happen via the Coal Quay Bridge and the junction of Queen’s and Marine Roads.
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There won’t be changes to how traffic flows in current directions. Also unaffected will be current bus stops or routes or other public transportation. Car parking arrangements involving roads connecting Monkstown Road and Seapoint Avenue will also go unchanged. The council states that new one-way measures aren’t going to seriously affect traffic in either Glasthule or Sandycove.
The road network isn’t going to be capable of supporting more car traffic, which would probably happen if current public transportation were cut at all. The council says the current plan aligns well with larger initiatives trying to get people to cycle or walk instead of using crowded public transportation.
Pedestrian traffic had already been rising a lot lately, and many were faced with circumstances where social distancing needs weren’t possible. This lead to citizens getting off of the footpath and possibly stepping into vehicle traffic.
Also, the average profile of a cyclist using this route is changing. A lack of specific cycling space on certain routes also posed risks to road users of all kinds.
The council lists these measures as temporary and part of the pandemic, but it might also be a chance for everyone to reconsider how such spaces are used.
A 2002 proposal outlined a continuous cycle route for Dublin Bay. It was known as the S2S and would have parallelled the seafront nonstop from a start point in Sutton all the way to Sandycove. The northside part of the S2S is mostly finished, but the southside portion only has short paths still unconnected.
The City Council already moved last month to implement a one-way system for traffic temporarily in Blackrock, in order to create more space for pedestrians and cyclists.
Nearly everyone concerned about the global pandemic understands the importance of keeping their distance from other people, and that matters even when going from point A to point B.
