The DLR Connector Route is planned to be a safer route from Nutgrove Shopping Centre to Monkstown. The plan is to create more segregated cycle paths along the route. To test this out, a group of DLR and Dublin Cycling Campaign members organised a Family Fun Cycle on Bank Holiday Monday, May 2nd at 2.30 pm. We chose to just do the ‘first leg’ of the route, a 6km circle from Loreto Park Nutgrove, through Dundrum village and back along the Slang Greenway. With the support of some very helpful DCC marshals and the Gardaí, almost 160 people of all ages on all sorts of cycles enjoyed a most enjoyable afternoon, ending with iced lollies for everyone at Loreto Park. We hope to organise similar Family Fun Cycles on the two remaining sections later this year. We plan to feed back to DLR Council our assessment and comments on each of the sections.

For these Cycles to work safely and well, we need the help and support of people volunteering to act as marshals, and to help promote the event in advance on various social media, WhatsApp, and school platforms. The Route must be safely accessible for all ages and abilities. If you are willing to help out with promoting and/or marshalling on the remaining two sections, please contact us and we will keep you posted. Email: dlr@dublincycling.com with DLR Connector Route in the subject line.

Feedback from the Nutgrove Cycle: “It was fantastic. So nice for the children to experience cycling safely on roads such as Barton Road which are normally too dangerous due to drivers coming too close or forcing them onto the pavement. It was a great event to get the kids into cycling and introduction to cycling on the road.”

Q: Would you feel safe cycling on the same cycle route alone/with your family? “No, we were harassed and shouted at on Barton Road previously Not with my family, yes on my own Parts of the route I would feel safer on than other parts.”

With thanks to Colin Boyle, Jack Quinn, Mairéad Forsythe, Sandra Velthuis, Oisín O’Connor.

Clara Clark