South Dublin County Council have published plans for Section 6 of the Dodder Greenway which will link Dodder Valley Park to Kilvere, along Firhouse Road and Butterfield Avenue. Three options are presented, and the council is seeking feedback on these before the formal planning process is started.

The deadline for submissions is 14 January. Before are the main points we will be making in our submission. Have your say by making a submission on this important and tricky section of the greenway by making your own submission, highlighting the most important points for you.

We welcome the proposals to connect the Dodder Greenway between Dodder Valley Park and Kilvere, and in particular the following elements of the designs:

• Crossing Points available across all arms of Spawell Link Road Junction and Blue Haven Junction.
• Elimination of left turning slip from Old Bridge Road.
• Redesign of lanes layout on Firhouse Road to eliminate left turning slip arrangement and accommodate all lanes alongside.

Option 1 includes a two-way cycle lane along Firhouse Road (from the Spawell Link Road) along Butterfield Avenue as far as Kilvere. We believe option 1 is the best option for cyclists:

• It provides the most direct route for cyclists traveling in either direction
• It continues the greenway experience along this section
• It provides wobble room for inexperienced cyclists and will enable parents to cycle alongside their children

We welcome in particular the following elements of option 1:

• Two-way cycle track along Firhouse Road
• Segregated cycle tracks on Wellington Lane

We would like to see the following improvements to option 1:

• Cyclops style junction at the Blue Haven
• Inclusion of raised off-road cycle tracks on the approach to the Blue Haven junction from Old Bridge Road and Ballyroan Road (as shown in Option 2)
• More space for cyclists at the bus-stop bypasses
• Retention of the existing cycle lane on the south side of the Firhouse Road
• Reduction of the traffic lane widths on Wellington Lane and Butterfield Avenue with the space reallocated to wider cycle tracks.

Regardless of which option is chosen the following elements need to be included to ensure the design is up to greenway standard, and provides safe walking and cycling for all ages and abilities:

• The design needs to consider not only the needs and safety of cyclists on the Greenway, but also those joining or exiting at the various junctions
• The design for the Blue Haven junction needs to include safe cycling connections to and from the Greenway from all arms of the junction
• Segregation of cyclists from the carriageway, where possible
• Segregation of pedestrian and cycling facilities