SDCC votes to approve 260km of new and improved cycle lanes

South Dublin County Councillors have voted to approve the Cycle South Dublin programme at the recent monthly council meeting.

The approved scheme will see the development of 260km of new and improved cycle lanes across the county.

In a statement, the local authority said that: “South Dublin County’s population is set to grow to nearly 330,000 people by 2030.

“This would be an increase of nearly 50,000 people living in the County from 2016.

“Since 2016, traffic congestion in South Dublin County has grown by 11% on main roads and this will become ever more challenging as the County’s population continues to grow.”

The council says its objectives are to “provide a comprehensive and connected cycle network across South Dublin, increase participation and make cycling a more achievable mode of transport for all adults and children, and improve the cycling identity of the county.”

The Cycle South Dublin programme includes 63 projects that would deliver approximately 260km of space for cycling and walking.

“This is an increase of nearly 50km from the programme that was publicly consulted on in late 2020,” says the council.

The projects are broken down into four phases which include improvements to the existing network, projects that will be completed within two years, projects that will be completed within five years and projects that will be completed within eight years.

“South Dublin County Council has been working closely with the National Transport Authority (NTA) and the Department of Transport and the NTA has advised that they are prepared to fund the majority of projects included over the next five years.

“This has been demonstrated in their commitment to increase the council’s active travel fund from €8.9m in 2020 to €20.7m for 2021,” it said.

Councillor and Mayor of South Dublin Ed O’Brien said: “The council has agreed an ambitious new programme of works with the vision of making South Dublin County one of Ireland’s most cycle-friendly counties.

“Traffic congestion in South Dublin has grown by 11% on our main roads since 2016.

“This results not only in lost time but also has negative environmental, economic and health impacts,” he said.

“Private vehicles will always have an important role to play in how people move around our county, but we quickly need to offer people high-quality public transport alternatives and cycling and walking are critical to this.

“This programme will see some 260km of new and improved cycle lanes progressed over the coming years for people of all ages and abilities.

“I am particularly happy that this scheme will provide safe routes to a large number of schools in the County affording our school goers the opportunity to cycle to and from school and form the habit of cycling as they grow up.”