A LOCAL Fine Gael councillor’s plans to create two unique bicycle routes running across the city are to be reviewed by Dublin City Council traffic engineers.
Cllr Paddy Smyth is proposing the introduction of a
‘South Dublin Bicycle Boulevard’, consisting of two cycling routes.
The first would enable cyclists to start from Goldenbridge and finish at Ballsbridge.
This boulevard would join the red and green lines of the Luas, and connect the Grand Canal cycleway to the Dodder Cycleway, which is currently being proposed by Dublin City Council.
The second route would start off at Crumlin and finish in Grangegorman.
This would link the south city to the new DIT campus on the Northside and serve as a link between the Grand Canal and proposed Liffey Cycle track along the quays.
These routes would run along a series of residential roads, which would be converted into cul-de-sacs, allowing only cyclists and pedestrians to traverse from one part to the next.
“I was inspired by a similar plan, which was introduced in Portland, Oregan, in the United States where the aim there is to bring bike rides up to 25 per cent of all journeys taken in the city,
? Cllr Smyth explained.
“I’ve picked these specific routes because they run close to a high density of primary and secondary schools.
“Introducing a bicycle boulevard would make cycling to school a speedy and safe option for kids, as they wouldn’t be competing with buses and other traffic for space. The only traffic cyclists or pedestrians using this route would encounter is residents leaving or returning to their homes.
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According to Cllr Smyth, Dublin City Council traffic engineers have agreed to perform a feasibility study on the routes in April.