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Cycle Lanes - St. Stephen's Green Dublin

  • 14-12-2012 1:51pm
    #1
    JuliusCaesar
    Registered Users Posts: 4,882 ✭✭✭


    I don't often find myself cycling in the city centre these days, so haven't come across this before:

    Wanting to get from Merrion Row to Cuffe St, I pushed the bike up to Stephens Green and crossed at the pedestrian crossing, then cycled up towards Stephen's Green Shopping Centre, thinking that I could push the bike down Sth King St past the Gaeity and the cycle down Aungier St.

    In the event, I saw that I'm allowed continue around the corner past the College of Surgeons. The car lane leads into the car park there, but there's a two-way bike lane marked which would bring me in the right direction. So that's grand.
    Or so I thought.

    The bike lane ended abruptly and left me cycling the wrong way as cars are now turning into Stephen's Green from Cuffe St. and it seems to be a one way system. Well I got the fright of my life, and oncoming cars seemed disconcerted too. Back off the bike again.

    Anyway, is my reading of the road right? Does the bike lane end abruptly with no notice, leaving you in the middle of a one-way (against you) car lane? Can this possibly be so?
    Tagged:


Comments

  • #2
    galwaycyclist
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,913 ✭✭✭galwaycyclist


    JuliusCaesar wrote: »
    I don't often find myself cycling in the city centre these days, so haven't come across this before:

    Wanting to get from Merrion Row to Cuffe St, I pushed the bike up to Stephens Green and crossed at the pedestrian crossing, then cycled up towards Stephen's Green Shopping Centre, thinking that I could push the bike down Sth King St past the Gaeity and the cycle down Aungier St.

    In the event, I saw that I'm allowed continue around the corner past the College of Surgeons. The car lane leads into the car park there, but there's a two-way bike lane marked which would bring me in the right direction. So that's grand.
    Or so I thought.

    The bike lane ended abruptly and left me cycling the wrong way as cars are now turning into Stephen's Green from Cuffe St. and it seems to be a one way system. Well I got the fright of my life, and oncoming cars seemed disconcerted too. Back off the bike again.

    Anyway, is my reading of the road right? Does the bike lane end abruptly with no notice, leaving you in the middle of a one-way (against you) car lane? Can this possibly be so?


    I don't know the junction and likely someone else will have more info. But best to clarify why you think its a two-way cycle track. Bear in mind that its not unknown for Irish contractors to put in road markings the wrong way around. Its also not unknown for Irish roads eingineers to dump cyclists into the wrong place at the wrong time.


  • #3
    AngryLips
    Registered Users Posts: 2,677 ✭✭✭AngryLips


    I always thought it was a one way cycle lane meant for cyclists going southbound towards Harcourt Street? It's a bit on the narrow side for a two-way cycle lane.

    In the event that it is a two-way cycle lane is it possible that it's intended to lead northbound cyclists towards taking a left at the point where it ends under and towards the exit of the Stephen's Green carpark?


  • #4
    monument
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 14,072 Mod ✭✭✭✭monument


    Are we talking about this here?


  • #5
    bigar
    Registered Users Posts: 596 ✭✭✭bigar


    monument wrote: »
    Are we talking about this here?

    If that is the one, I have wondered the same and when I cycled there saw that we can cycle in both directions there all the way to King's Street South. There is a sign at the beginning of the cycle lane on both sides saying it is no through road except for cyclist. There is no further sign before King's Street South so I see no reason why not to cycle there. The arrows do point in one direction only but as far as I now, painted arrows without supporting road signs are not valid.


  • #6
    JuliusCaesar
    Registered Users Posts: 4,882 ✭✭✭JuliusCaesar


    monument wrote: »
    Are we talking about this here?

    Yes, that's the one. The sign on the post makes it clear that cyclists ARE allowed head southward. It's just when you get to the end of the pink strip, the cars are coming at you and there's nowhere to go, there's no more cycle lane!


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  • #7
    Victor
    Registered Users Posts: 78,239 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    It's a screw up. When the Green was rearranged, further work was meant to happen at Grafton Street, but never did.


  • #8
    monument
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 14,072 Mod ✭✭✭✭monument


    Victor wrote: »
    It's a screw up. When the Green was rearranged, further work was meant to happen at Grafton Street, but never did.

    This was one of many older contra-flow lanes which were in need of fixing or were never usable or fully usable. The council fixed other -- like Bull Ally Street -- but with this one they chose to just tell cyclists to turn right in both directions... from the Dublin Cycling Campaign's Facebook page:

    232845.JPG

    232846.JPG

    The latter image is an example of very poor design. It's clear that primary traffic signs such as yield and directional arrows should be on the left hand side of a driver or cyclist.

    As far as I can see, both sides have the space and low traffic volume and speed which is suitable for on-road contra-flow. There's just an unwillingness to use such an approach.

    Links to the two images and the discussion on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152178181560052&set=a.10150204722485052.452559.186031000051&type=1 and http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152178173840052&set=a.10150204722485052.452559.186031000051&type=1


  • #9
    paddyland
    Closed Accounts Posts: 932 ✭✭✭paddyland


    It's just shoddy design.

    The bus lanes are shoddy, the footpaths are shoddy, the traffic lane arrangements are shoddy, the traffic lights are shoddy, road signage is shoddy, the cycle lanes are shoddy.

    I see no evidence anywhere in the city that any of the council authorities take any interest in meaningful or effective road design. It is amateur design by inexperienced or disinterested engineers, with no reference to the needs of users or to best practices anywhere else in the road.

    The Port Tunnel is an effective piece of infrastructure that serves a specific design purpose well, as long as it is left alone to work as it was designed to. Everything else is an ass.

    Why not give road design over to the pre-schools as a kind of project work? A few free boxes of crayons wouldn't cost that much, and I'm sure we would see some more enlightenment.


  • #10
    Carawaystick
    Registered Users Posts: 8,779 ✭✭✭Carawaystick


    It's a bit of a snafu alright, the whole closing ssg west to through traffic was an afterthought to the tram construction.
    The "cycle lane" is not a legal one as it has no white lines marking its edge


  • #11
    juan.kerr
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,766 ✭✭✭juan.kerr


    I get the Luas from here, its ridiculous the number of cyclists who go the wrong way up the one way street here every day. Some then cycle the wrong way through the pedestrial crossing / red light at the corner of St Stephens Green in front of the shopping centre.


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  • #12
    bigar
    Registered Users Posts: 596 ✭✭✭bigar


    I see they changed the situation and try to correct it in a very "creative" way. And then they wonder why bicycles seem to break the rules on occasions when they are ecountering incomplete cycle lanes.


  • #13
    monument
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 14,072 Mod ✭✭✭✭monument


    juan.kerr wrote: »
    I get the Luas from here, its ridiculous the number of cyclists who go the wrong way up the one way street here every day. Some then cycle the wrong way through the pedestrial crossing / red light at the corner of St Stephens Green in front of the shopping centre.

    It was designed in the first place that cyclists could do just that! It was just never completed / done right.

    The signs shown above are very recent.
    Carawaystick wrote: »
    It's a bit of a snafu alright, the whole closing ssg west to through traffic was an afterthought to the tram construction.
    The "cycle lane" is not a legal one as it has no white lines marking its edge

    It's not a "cycle track" (as they are legally called). It's a section of cycling-only street:

    232887.JPG

    Image from Google Street View, so... Unless the signs were changed recently?


  • #14
    Tow
    Registered Users Posts: 6,390 ✭✭✭Tow


    juan.kerr wrote: »
    Some then cycle the wrong way through the pedestrial crossing / red light at the corner of St Stephens Green in front of the shopping centre.

    No they don't! They are going the wrong direction on a one way road, so there are no lights facing them :eek:

    When is the money (including lost growth) Michael Noonan took in the Pension Levy going to be paid back?



  • #15
    Del2005
    Registered Users Posts: 18,871 ✭✭✭✭Del2005


    monument wrote: »


    It's not a "cycle track" (as they are legally called). It's a section of cycling-only street:

    232887.JPG

    Image from Google Street View, so... Unless the signs were changed recently?

    I looks like a motorcyclist is using it:D


  • #16
    steve-o
    Registered Users Posts: 903 ✭✭✭steve-o


    Del2005 wrote: »
    I looks like a motorcyclist is using it:D
    Cars used to regularly avail of it too until the bollards were added!


  • #17
    Victor
    Registered Users Posts: 78,239 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    Del2005 wrote: »
    I looks like a motorcyclist is using it:D
    Well, he is a cyclist! :)


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