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Irish Independent
20-05-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Final BusConnects corridor approved linking Kimmage to Dublin city centre
However, half of the core bus corridors which have received planning permission are the subject of judicial review proceedings. The approval of the corridor linking Kimmage to Dublin city centre is the last to receive planning permission, marking a significant milestone more than a decade after the project was first announced. The Kimmage to City Centre Core Bus Corridor Scheme is part of the National Transport Authority's BusConnects programme and was approved by An Bord Pleanála on May 12, with conditions. The project aims to promote sustainable travel by improving infrastructure for walking, cycling, and public transport along a key route from Kimmage to Dublin city centre. The corridor, one of the shortest in the BusConnects programme at just 3.7km, begins at Kimmage crossroads, where Terenure Road West, Fortfield Road, and Kimmage Road West meet. It will travel along Kimmage Road Lower, through Harold's Cross Road, over the Grand Canal, and continues via Clanbrassil Street and New Street South, ending at the St Patrick's Street junction. In addition, a parallel quiet cycle route will run from Ravensdale Park to Mount Argus, located west of Kimmage Road Lower, providing safer options for cyclists. The main goal of the scheme is to deliver more efficient and integrated transport options, ensuring safer and more accessible infrastructure for buses, pedestrians, and cyclists alike. The project attracted 80 public submissions from residents, businesses, local representatives, and advocacy groups, both supportive and critical. Among the submissions was one from the Dublin Cycling Campaign, which broadly welcomed the scheme but raised several concerns about its cycling infrastructure. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more The group criticised what it described as 'low-quality intermittent cycle lanes' along Lower Kimmage Road and a 'circuitous' quiet route with narrow sections through Mount Argus. It also warned that proposed changes, such as the replacement of existing advisory cycle lanes with car parking, could endanger cyclists by forcing them into traffic lanes. The group also called for wider, consistently segregated cycle tracks in line with the National Cycle Manual and flagged the need for improved safety measures on the proposed quiet streets, including clearer visual cues and reduced carriageway widths to prioritise cyclists. It welcomed the 30kmph speed limit proposed for parts of the corridor, but called for physical measures and speed cameras to ensure compliance. Of the twelve corridors, five – including routes from Ballymun/Finglas, Liffey Valley, Ringsend, Tallaght/Clondalkin, and Lucan – now have full planning permission and are no longer open to legal challenge. Construction on the first corridors had been expected to begin in autumn, but the NTA has said works on the Ballymun/Finglas and Liffey Valley routes may commence earlier, with each scheme expected to take about two years to complete.
Irish Independent
28-04-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Part of newly opened Clontarf to city centre cycleway faces 10-week closure for ‘realignment works'
The outbound cycle track at Fairview Avenue Lower and Merville Avenue will be closed for approximately ten weeks to facilitate the works, following recommendations from a Road Safety Audit. The €70m project officially opened in November last year, after years of disruption for local residents and businesses. Local representatives have now raised concerns about the nature of the changes and the additional construction. The planned realignment will move the cycle track closer to the main carriageway at two junctions. It's been argued this is contrary to national and international best practice, which generally advises maintaining a setback between cyclists and turning traffic for improved safety. Green Party councillor Donna Cooney has called for a pause and full review of the realignment plans before any works proceed. 'Bringing people out closer to where the cars are turning certainly won't make me feel safer anyway,' she said. 'There's a large number of children on bikes and parents bringing young children using the route, so it's important it's not made more dangerous.' Cllr Cooney said she had requested a copy of the Road Safety Audit from Dublin City Council, but it has not yet been provided. In addition to safety concerns, she suggested that smaller measures should be attempted first. ADVERTISEMENT 'The parking space should be closed without obstructive barriers and the green space should be made free of all obstructions before a major realignment of the junction that deviates from the National Cycle Manual is considered,' she said. 'The roadworks required to carry out this realignment would also remove the busy bus lane for most of the daytime, while no provision seems to have been made to provide bus priority on one of the two northbound general traffic lanes. 'Not to mention the closure of what is now a very busy cycle lane for ten weeks without any alternative provisions. 'What we really need is funding to prevent rat running through Marino,' she added. Separately, Green Party councillor and Transport spokesperson Feljin José raised concerns the proposed changes appear to deviate from national guidance. 'The proposed design does not comply with the National Transport Authority's Cycle Design Manual,' he said. 'The current layout has issues, but it is much more closely aligned with the Manual, and any realignments should be aimed at full compliance, not complete deviation. 'Carrying out ten more weeks of roadworks and such a major realignment after a two-and-a-half-year construction period would damage the public's confidence in Dublin City Council's ability to deliver active travel routes and could also be seen as wasteful spending,' he added. Dublin City Council said the changes are necessary to address safety concerns identified in the Road Safety Audit. Access to the bus stop at Fairview Avenue Lower will be maintained, but the cycle track will remain closed for the duration of the works. A spokesperson for the council's Active Travel Programme Office said: 'As part of the Clontarf to City Centre Scheme, following the recent Road Safety Audit 3, the proposed cycle-track realignment works at Fairview Avenue Lower and Merville Avenue are scheduled to commence on Monday, April 28. 'A duration of approximately ten weeks will be required to complete the necessary realignment works. The outbound cycle track at these locations will be closed to facilitate the works. 'Dublin City Council apologises for any inconvenience caused and seeks the understanding and co-operation of the public during the course of these works.'
