Sir, – As a result of the new Luas Cross City service, "busy areas of Dublin city such as Henry Street may become virtually inaccessible to cyclists" (Dan Griffin, "New Luas route will put busy areas of city out of bounds to cyclists, says report", July 3rd).
The article in question is based on a National Transport Authority draft report dated March 10th. Why wasn’t this issue addressed many years earlier during the planning phase of Luas Cross City? Why did the Luas Cross City project not include a plan for the existence of bicycles in Dublin? The entire city centre of Dublin has been subject to substantial works as a result of Luas Cross City, so when carrying out the works, why were off-road bicycle lanes not included as standard in the replacement of pavements?
It seems that during the planning phase of Luas Cross City one of two things occurred – either cycling in Dublin was not discussed as part of this planning phase, or cycling in Dublin was discussed and subsequently ignored. Either one of these scenarios is appalling and perplexing. For example, O’Connell Street, an incredibly wide street, was reconfigured as a result of Luas Cross City and yet not one inch of the pavements has been given over to safe bicycle lanes.
On a more general note, many will argue that there are lots of bicycle lanes in Dublin. Having lived in cities that have actual bicycle lanes I would like to point out that most of the so-called bicycle lanes in Dublin are not actually bicycle lanes at all, but rather they are merely the left-hand side of the road. Often times these bicycle lanes inexplicably terminate in the middle of the road, they stop at every bus stop (instead of going around the back of the bus stop), and most bafflingly of all, they sometimes take up half a car lane, as if a car and a bicycle can share the same physical space at the same time. The mind boggles.
If Dublin City Council really believes that these lanes are actually for cyclists then why does it not extend pavements and incorporate the bicycle lanes into the pavements where there is space? This would be better for everyone.
My final suggestion in relation to the nonsensical approach to cycling in Dublin is this: every time works are to be carried out in Dublin, the surrounding area should be assessed to see if, as a cost-saving measure, the works that are already taking place could include some work on off-road bicycle lanes. If this were done, bit by bit, Dublin would develop a bicycle lane network and the outrageous and scandalous outcomes of the poor planning of Luas Cross City could be avoided. Maybe this involves too much foresight and forethought however.
I am a driver and a cyclist. – Yours, etc,
DARRAGH M HIGGINS,
Rathgar,
Dublin 6.
Sir, – It is incorrect to claim that parts of Dublin’s road network will become no-go areas for cyclists as a result of the danger posed to bicycles by intertwined tram tracks at some Luas junctions.
Cyclists will just use the footpaths in such areas.
We pedestrians can then use the gutter. We know our place. – Yours, etc,
KARL MARTIN,
Bayside,
Dublin 13.