Dublin Cycling Campaign was amongst the invitees for the official opening on 20th of December 2019 of Dublin’s newest cycle bridge.

The new infrastructure, located close to the National Convention Centre and where the Royal Canal meets the LIiffey, comprises a dedicated two-way cycle bridge and, alongside it, a bridge for pedestrians. This spot has been a nasty bottleneck for many years, with cyclists forced to share the main carriageway with cars, buses and heavy goods vehicles. The bridges enable cyclists and pedestrians to travel safely and seamlessly between the Samuel Beckett bridge and the river campshires.

Dublin Cycling Campaign provided critical feedback during the design stage of these bridges. One aspect of our input centred on the design of the railings, which were originally proposed to be inward-leaning and hence reducing the effective width of the bridge. We advocated for vertical railings to maximise the functional width of the bridge. See here for the main points of our input to the Council and the Council’s responses. Much of what we do is this type of unseen techncial work: providing constructive criticism and feedback via submissions and consultations. If you would like to support our work, please consider becoming a member of the Campaign for just €20/year - see here.

The bridge was officially opened by Lord Mayor Councillor Paul McAuliffe, along with Minister for Minister for Finance & Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe, and the CEO of the National Transport Authority, Ms. Anne Graham (pictured above). The Lord Mayor rode his official Mayoral bicycle presented to him earlier in the year by Dublin Cycling Campaign.

We commend the City Council on the fairly quick design and construction of this bridge. We are very happy with the final product. We are still frustrated though with the glacial pace of advancement of plans for the full Liffey Cycle Route from the Phoenix Park and Heuston Station all the way along the river quays to the docklands. It is essential this is given maximum priority by the City Council in 2020 and this will be a special campaigning focus for the Campaign in the new year. Watch this space!