Cycletrack and Road Safety Issues

Cycle Track and Road Safety Issues

One of the positives of this scheme was that it was intended that it would provide safer facilities for all road users – pedestrians, cyclists, public transport users and motorists. The community has serious reservations as to how this will be achieved in practice. The scheme currently has a number of serious safety issues that need to be resolved as a matter of urgency.

Unsafe Layout of the Bull Wall Junction

As part of the design of this scheme, the outbound right-hand turn lane at this junction was removed. However, in December last, due to ongoing traffic issues following the removal of this lane, DCC agreed that the turn should be reinstated. The new proposal from DCC is to provide a 2.5m wide turning lane. We do not believe that this will be safe or that it will address the traffic issues. Dublin Bus have also expressed concerns about the proposal. We have asked DCC to confirm whether the required safety audit of the newly revised layout has been undertaken and if so, we have requested that its findings be made public. Given the record of incidents at this location, three since January 2017 that we are aware of, the community needs assurances that the permanent layout will be safe.

Omission of Safe Crossing Routes

As part of the scheme, a number of improvements to the existing crossings were to be provided for both pedestrians and cyclists. These improvements involved upgrading the existing junctions at Wooden Bridge and Mt Prospect Avenue and replacing the pedestrian crossing at the old Dollymount House with a signalled controlled junction at Dollymount Park. The crossing at Dollymount Park has not been installed, and the junctions have not been upgraded.

During the course of the construction work, the community groups requested an additional crossing from the Park to the cycle track and DCC agreed to this. The paving for that crossing was installed, and an opening at the pond in the park was created for access. DCC advised that for safety reasons they would need to put a chicane type barrier across the opening. That barrier is not in place, and the crossing has not been completed.

The implication for pedestrians and cyclists wishing to access the new cycle track is that there are significant sections of road with no safe means of crossing.

Unsafe Driving Due to Unfinished Junctions and Lack of Road Markings

A driver was witnessed making a right hand turn from Dollymount Park onto the cycle track. Luckily on this occasion, no one was using the cycle track at that time, so there were no injuries, and the driver was able to reverse back down the cycle track and exit back onto the road. DCC have not as yet provided a timeline for completion of this junction, and in the interim, it is clearly unsafe.

A number of sections of double yellow lines and the Yellow Box at Kincora Road have not been reinstated. The missing double yellow lines have resulted in one accident that we are aware of. There has also been a number of incidents of poor parking with a knock on potential for accidents.

The markings on the cycle track have also not been completed. These markings are of particular importance when a cyclist is approaching a shared area where they need to yield to pedestrians.

It is essential that road markings, signalling and related signage are put in place to prevent further accidents.

Unsafe Access to and from Residential Driveways on the Clontarf Road

From the outset, the CRA have been concerned regarding the safety of the 3m wide carriageway from a number of perspectives including the issue of drivers turning into and out of their driveways. In June 2016 DCC advised that they were increasing the width of the outbound lane by 40cm thereby providing extra space for turning into and out of driveways. Their subsequent safety audit identified a significant number of driveways that need to be adjusted to render them safe for vehicular use. We have been requesting action on the issue of driveways for over a year now, and DCC have still not contacted the owners of the properties affected nor have they given us a timeline for the commencement of this remedial work.