Drivers and cyclists on collision course in Dublin as return to office looms

Commuters will start filtering back to the office next week against the background of record levels of Government investment in active travel projects this year.

More people than ever took to two wheels during the pandemic, but former professional cyclist Nicolas Roche this week claimed cyclists are still “risking their lives” in Dublin.

The son of Tour de France winner Stephen Roche has been experiencing life as a cyclist in the city while based here for RTÉ’s Dancing With the Stars.

Despite lots of recent investment in cycle lanes, he believes the capital’s streets should still be a lot safer.

But with traffic volumes set to rise next week, are cyclists and drivers heading for a collision course in the battle for Dublin’s road space?

Deansgrange, Sandymount Strand and more recently Griffith Avenue/Ballymun Road have all become bywords for cycle lane controversies, with conflicting views over the merits of making them more bike-friendly.

But this is not just a simple case of motorist pitted against cyclist, with public representatives, homeowners and businesses all clamouring to halt the development of several proposed cycle routes.

Last year, a pilot scheme for a two-way cycle lane along Sandymount Strand was stopped in its tracks after a successful legal challenge by Dublin city councillor Mannix Flynn (Ind) and a local resident.

In Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, a proposal to make Deansgrange Road a one-way system for cars to facilitate a cycle lane led to claims it would drive traffic into residential areas and negatively impact businesses.

Supporters of the scheme argued the measure would make cycling safer for schoolchildren, reduce harmful emissions and help promote sustainable transport options.

After months of debate, the council decided to abandon this element of its Active School Travel programme. It is now proposed the cycle route will run through Deansgrange Cemetery instead.

Dedicated cycle lanes along leafy canal banks, obsolete rail lines or coastal routes, such as Sutton to Clontarf, generally don’t attract the same level of opposition.

However, there is always the potential for conflict when a section of finite road space is given over to cyclists at the expense of motorists.

The new contra-flow cycle lane between Ballymun Road and Mobhi Road on Griffith Avenue is a case in point. Although it’s early days and some tweaking may still be required, there are claims that traffic is now “out of control” since the lane was installed.

Some cyclists complained about cars parking in sections of the route and have raised concerns about traffic obstructing the cycle lane at a busy intersection.

Green Party councillor Hazel Chu took to Twitter last weekend to voice her frustration at ongoing opposition to cycle lane projects.

“What is it with cycle lanes that brings out such division?” she asked. “Here's the thing: from Deansgrange to Sandymount, everyone says they have nothing against cyclists, that they just want the least disruptive option. Well, how do you know what that is unless you trial it?”

Safety campaigners continue to lobby for more segregated spaces for cyclists, physically separated from motor traffic by bollards or some form of physical infrastructure.

Groups such as the Dublin Cycling Campaign believe the creation of safe junctions, at locations where accidents are more likely to happen, is “critical”.

The harsh reality for drivers is that investment in active travel projects is continuing apace and will further erode road space for cars in the future.

Last week, Transport Minister Eamon Ryan announced funding of €289m to the National Transport Authority (NTA) for up to 1,200 projects around the country, many of them walking or cycling routes.

In Dublin alone, €135m will be spent on active travel across all four local authority areas. Commuters travelling by car are likely to be further squeezed as these projects progress.