Cyclist take it to the streets to push for long-promised Liffey Cycle Route

July 10, 2018

Over 300 citizens joined cycling campaign groups in the capital on Sunday to demand urgent action from Government to build the long-promised Liffey Cycle Route.

The organiser of the mass cycle, Dublin Cycle Campaign, said that the Liffey Cycle Route is crucial to make everyday travelling easier and safer both for cyclists and for motor vehicle drivers

The Liffey route is seen by cyclists as one of the most perilous routes for collisions and serious injuries happen frequently to the cyclists on this route, the campaign group said.

The campaign’s spokesperson, Kieran Ryan, said that the group will now hold monthly mass cycles along the Liffey Quays to highlight the need for a safe cycle route “until the route is built”.

The first protest took place during Bike Week in the mid-June. It is planned that the protests will take place once a month on Sundays, with the next one set for early August.

A new report from the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and An Garda Síochána released on Monday shows that six cyclists lost their lives on Irish roads during the first half of 2018.

In 2017, 15 cyclists- up 50 per cent from 2016 – were killed, the highest number of cycling deaths recorded in one year since 2007. The figures show that most collisions involved a motor vehicle.

All talk, no action

The proposal for the safe, segregated cyclist area in the city centre along the Liffey River was first raised in 2011. Despite the spending of €360,000 on consultations, the Dublin Cycling Campaign said that there has been little progress with the scheme.

“We had had enough of these expensive discussion documents,” said Mr Ryan, urging people to join the protest for the safe Liffey Route. “It’s time to take to two wheels and reclaim the route.”

A study carried by the Dublin Cycle Campaign found that bicycles accounted for 49 per cent of all vehicles Ormond Quay during the morning rush hours. The survey, also, found that there are twice as many cyclists on the quays as private cars.

A spokesperson from National Transport Authority (NTA) told The Green News that the Authority and their design team are reviewing all of the available options for the project.

“It is expected that the NTA will provide the outcome of its review to Dublin City Council during August,” the spokesperson added.

Dublin City Council did not wish to comment on the protest and said that there are no current updates on the Liffey Cycle Route project.

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