The newest section of the Royal Canal Greenway was officially opened today by Lord Mayor of Dublin, Hazel Chu. The new route is 750 metres long and links North Strand with the docklands, where it connects with the existing cycle route running along Guild Street.

The new Greenway will offer an alternative route for people walking & cycling to the Docklands from the north and east of the city, enabling many people to avoid busy junctions at the Five Lamps and along Seville Place. It also forms part of a wider cycle network across the city, linking up with the Grand Canal Greenway on the southside via the Samuel Beckett Bridge and Grand Canal Square.

Pedestrians and cyclists will have separate paths along much of the new route, although the bridge over the railway tracks near North Strand will be a shared space. It’ll be interesting to see if it will be wide enough to accommodate the large volume of people expected to use this route, especially during the morning and evening rush hours.

This phase of the Royal Canal Greenway was originally granted planning permission in December 2015 and has suffered a number of delays and setbacks since then. The contract for construction of the project wasn’t awarded until September 2018, and the expected completion time of Q1 2020 was pushed out to April 2020, before Covid restrictions set in and caused further delays.

Phase 3 of the Royal Canal Greenway, which will connect North Strand to Phibsborough, is expected to begin construction early in 2021. Phase 4, from Phibsborough to Ashtown, which has had Part VIII planning approval since 2015, is still in the detailed design phase.

The final section of the Royal Canal Greenway to be completed is the Deep Sinking section near Castleknock, which is under Fingal County Council’s control. Frustratingly, this section of the canal route is still at the concept/feasibility stage. West of Fingal, the Royal Canal Greenway has more or less been fully completed all the way to the River Shannon in Longford, including a spur which links Mullingar to Athlone.

You can see a video of the new greenway here.

If you’d like to see more cycle routes like this across Dublin, why not consider becoming a member of Dublin Cycling Campaign? Join the campaign for as little as €20 a year.