Businesses in South Dublin are preparing a legal challenge against Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council's plans for a new cycle route, the Irish Times reports.
The local authority plans to bring in a one way system on Deansgrange Road to facilitate a two way cycle track. It's part of a wider project, the Active School Travel scheme.
It proposes three active travel routes totaling approximately 25 km in length and linking 65 schools across the County, comprised of existing paths, quiet streets and a small proportion of new infrastructure elements.
In a statement to 98FM News, the local authority explained that there were 6,431 submissions received as part of the public engagement process with overall 63% of those making submissions supporting the progression of the scheme.
"Those opposing the project generally gave a reason why they were opposing. Of the submissions received, 577 responses specifically mentioned Deansgrange, representing approximately 9% of the overall submissions received. 499 or around 8% of overall submissions opposed the introduction of the one-way system for vehicles and two-way cycle route on Deansgrange Road."
The council says the concerns relating to Deansgrange were mainly related to traffic issues i.e. that the introduction of the one-way system for vehicles would result in longer journey times for people driving and rat-running on local streets. However it has defended the plan for the area:
While it is important to continue to facilitate motor vehicle access, Deansgrange Road is also an essential missing link in the active mobility network. Since it currently lacks safe conditions for cycling it is a barrier for people to reach destinations on and around Deansgrange Road and across the County by active travel modes. This means that potential active travel users are more likely to drive. By providing safe conditions for walking and cycling on Deansgrange Road it would link the networks on either side and would enable more people to choose to walk or cycle for their trips instead of driving a car.
The Deansgrange Village Business Group provided a report to the council that they commissioned by a private consultancy company. The report suggested four options to divert the cycle facilities away from the Deansgrange Area. The council considered the report but ultimately decided they were unsuitable for a variety reasons. For example three of the options suggested using Abbey Road as an alternative. The Council says Abbey Road has a number of challenges including a pinch point that would require land acquisition and a large-scale roundabout that would have to be altered. These issues could take a number of years to resolve, whereas the facilities on Deansgrange Road could be installed in a number of months.
The business group is now reportedly planning to take a legal challenge against the plan and is said to be "encouraged" by the success last month of a High Court challenge against Dublin City Council's plans to introduce a one-way system on Strand Road in Sandymount to facilitate cycling.
