LIFFEY CYCLE ROUTE CONSULTATION

CLOSES 6TH JUNE: Please make a submission using our general comments below to LIFFEYCYCLEROUTE@dublincity.ie

Dublin city council plans https://consultation.dublincity.ie/traffic-and-transport/liffey-cycle-ro…

**DUBLIN CYCLING CAMPAIGN RESPONSE ** We are delighted to see progress at last on the proposed design for this core traffic corridor and iconic cycle route, after such a long wait, and overall we welcome the braos thrust of the proposal. This is already a heavily cycled route, even before any major design improvements are implemented, as can be seen from the photo below. But, we have some comments to make, which we feel could help to improve the design, or at the least raise potential considerations in the future iteration of this design.

We look forward to future engagement with Dublin City Council on this.

General Comments A Number of Positives and Some Negatives There are a large number of positive things to complement within this proposed design, in relation to cycle infrastructure, pedestrian issues, and also actual bus facilities. We highlight these general positive issues below, but also address some areas where we feel improvements are required

Bus Stop Bypasses and Locations We note the relocation of many of the bus stops along the proposed eastward and westward routes in such a way as to optimise the stops, along with the added feature of these all being full bus stop bypasses for bicycles, thus avoiding conflict between buses and cyclists. And by locating the new cycle track on the riverside of the roadway for much of its length this conflict is avoided totally.

Pedestrian Facilities
The inclusion of extra boardwalks along certain sections of the river to facilitate pedestrian movement, while costly, will greatly enhance the river for the average pedestrian and overall will lead to increased usage and safety. We also note and commend the number of new additional pedestrian crossing areas, which will enhance the walking experience. However we note a number of negative issues arising along the proposed corridor for pedestrians in a number of areas, which we will outline in detail in Section 3 Some sections of riverside path for pedestrians are removed on a number of quays. This breaks a major desire line, particularly for visitors to the City There are a number of crossings not facilitated for pedestrians, despite being led to the location along proposed or existing paths It is not clear that pedestrian needs have been fully taken into account in the design.

**Segregated Cycle Path ** The facility of having a virtually fully 100% segregated cycle track along the spine of the Liffey is a major positive, which will encourage more users. But, the general adherence to a 2 metre (and sometimes narrower) cycle track throughout the one way route sections is at best sufficient for present cycling levels in the City. Where possible, and there are a number of locations, the one way route width should be increased in line with the best recommendations of the National Cycle Manual - https://www.cyclemanual.ie/manual/thebasics/width/

**Cycling Right Turns and Road Crossings **

At a number of junctions it is not clear how a cyclist will make a right turn, usually to cross a bridge. The design also needs to clearly indicate if all marked crossing points are Toucan crossings, or simply pedestrian crossings thus enabling cyclists to legally use these crossings.

**Cycling Facilities on Bridge Crossings ** We note the inconsistency of the provision of excellent cycling lanes on some bridges but none on others. The reasoning for this needs to be made clear. And in reality cyclists will still continue to use those without facilities, but should receive some level of protection..

**Traffic Signal Activators ** We presume that all junctions will include cycling activators for traffic lights, to ensure that cyclists are recognised. We would also wish to see some advance green lights being used at a number of locations in this design, for what is a very heavily trafficked corridor. These features should be indicated in the design

Tree Retention and Planting We are delighted to see so many of the existing trees along the Liffey Corridor, retained in this proposal, other than those on Bachelor’s Walk and part of Eden Quay. A proposed planting regime will also help to enhance any final scheme.

**Further details in attached PDF document. **