The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Hazel Chu said she will continue to support the trial period for the Strand Road cycle route, despite recent objections by local residents.
She said with Level 5 restrictions currently in place: “it is more important than ever that we provide space for people to move around safely within their 5km radius.”
“We have seen measures introduced across the city including wider footpaths, modal filters and segregated cycle lanes, but we need to do more.”
She said the success of the trials of ‘filtered permeability’ systems at Pigeon House Road and at Grangegorman Lower show how the council can work with local communities to make the city more accessible and more inclusive to all.
Mayor Chu said: “I would like to see this spirit of collaboration between the council and local communities continued in the trial of the Strand Road Cycle Route, both from those who support the measures and those who have reservations about them."
I have listened to the concerns of local residents in Sandymount and am committed to a process which will identify any weaknesses during the trial period and introduce additional mitigation measures where necessary
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She said it is vital that measures like the Strand Road Cycle Route trial are rolled out without any further delay.
Planning permission
Her comments come as the Irish Times reports, residents of Sandymount in Dublin are urging An Bord Pleanála to intervene to halt the development of a two-way cycle path on Strand Road.
The route, which limits traffic on the coastal road to one lane, is due to open in February for a six-month trial.
However, several residents groups say they believe the council’s proposal requires planning permission and are preparing a submission to ask the board to adjudicate on the issue.
Legal representatives for the groups, which include STC ( Serpentine Avenue Tritonville Road, Claremont), Samra (Sandymount & Merrion Residents Association) and several associations representing individual roads in Sandymount, have written to Dublin City Council advising it should not go ahead with the cycle trial in advance of the board’s ruling.
However, the council said the cycle path was exempt from requiring planning permission. The project was in line with Government advice to implement walking and cycling schemes during the Covid-19 pandemic, it said.
