Slow delivery of active travel projects in Dublin criticised by councillors
Dublin councillors have criticised the pace of the rollout of active travel measures in the city centre.
Speaking as Dublin City Council’s Active Travel team presented their quarterly update this week, councillor Paddy Monahan said he wondered what the hold up was, noting active travel’s widespread support in Dublin.
“A case in point regarding that, a sort of a microcosm, is the Coolock-Clontarf route,” he said.
“September 2024, there was a preliminary design; December 2024, detailed design; but by March 2025, we’re back to preliminary design. July, it was being re-examined.”
Mr Monahan suggested trialling less interventionist schemes using plastic bollards as a way to test a proof of concept, as he said the permanent schemes were taking too long.
Acting Director for the Active Travel team in DCC, Chris Manzira, said the council was moving away from plastic bollards, as they were typically used in interim schemes, and their focus was now on permanent solutions.
John Flanagan, transport executive with DCC, said the slow delivery so far was down to the fact the active transport office was a relatively new one.
“In some ways, the active travel office has been set up over the last three years, and I think, with all project offices, they need to gain a certain amount of momentum,” he said.
“I think you can probably see when you look at the programme of works over the next number of years, the programme does speed up.
“The projects that would have started three years ago are really now only coming online,” Mr Flanagan added.
In the quarterly report, the Active Travel team said it has a “clearly defined” priority of works for the next 12 months, which would see the active travel network grow to around 40kms by June 2026.
DCC's expected progress on the city's active travel network by June 2026
A further 8kms would be under construction at that point, with design work on an additional 65kms of the network in progress by then.
Two projects will be complete this month, the Beatty’s Avenue section of the Dodder Greenway and the Sandyford Clonskeagh to Charlemont Street interim scheme for Ranelagh Village.
Phase three of the Royal Canal project is also scheduled to be completed at the end of August, with an official opening in September.
Two more projects will proceed to construction this year: the Fitzwilliam Quay to Londonbridge Road section of the Dodder Greenway, and the portion of the Trinity to Ballsbridge active travel scheme between Holles Street and Lansdowne Road.
Tenders for the following further 11 projects are anticipated to be published over the next year:
St Margarets/McKee Avenue (Lidl) Junction.
South City Loop – National Children’s Hospital Junction
Sandyford Clonskeagh to Charlemont Street – Clonskeagh to Ranelagh
Kilmainham to Thomas Street – Suir Road Junction
North Circular Road – Dorset Street to Amiens Street
Coolock to Clontarf – Gracefield Road to Vernon Avenue
Dodder Greenway – Donnybrook to Clonskeagh
The Dublin Active Travel Network is intended to eventually deliver 314kms of high-quality walking and cycling infrastructure throughout the capital. It is being delivered by DCC and funded by the National Transport Authority.