Plans for a segregated cycle route along the river Liffey in Dublin city, from Heuston station and the Phoenix Park in the west to the Point Village in the east, will be available for public consultation from next week.
People can make their views known on four route options, three of which involve a two-way riverside path along the north quays – the sunnier side of the river - at cycledublin.ie The first of the northside routes would involve a segregated path next to the riverside which would include a boardwalk over the Liffey at Ellis Quay, from the James Joyce Bridge, a narrow part of the route.
A second option also uses the two-way riverside route, but instead of a boardwalk, buses would be diverted onto Benburb Street to preserve the space for car traffic.
For the third northside route, Croppies Acre Park in front of the National Museum at Collins Barracks, would be relocated down to the riverside with traffic diverted around the park on to a new road, with a bus lane and a general traffic lane next to the Luas line.
The fourth option involves upgrading the existing cycle lanes on the north and south of the river. The lanes would remain next to the buildings, instead of being next to the quay wall, but they would be segregated from traffic for most of their length, with the exception of at bridges and junctions .
To keep space for cars, changes would have to be made to the existing riverside footpath. This would, along some stretches, necessitate the felling of mature plane trees, similar to those which grew along the central median of O’Connell Street before its redesign. It may also be necessary to remove quayside car parking in places.
Public submissions will be used to determine the preferred option.
