Letter in the Irish Times

Gavin

Anyone cycle this route ? Is it as bad as she says ?

HAZARDS OF CITY CYCLINGBack to Top

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Madam, - It is almost two years since I wrote a letter to this page despairing about the dangers of cycling to and from work on the Rock Road. I expressed my dismay at the complete lack of consideration shown to the cyclists during the course of the extended roadworks there.

I was full of hope, however, when encouraging signs such as "New Bus, Cycle Lanes" appeared. But two years on, the reality is that my journey from Rathmines to Blackrock is even more dangerous than before. I pray every morning that I will get to work in one piece.

Why? Because now there are bits and pieces of cycle track. They appear and disappear with wild abandon. Sometimes the track is brown and sometimes, it has reassuring white bicycles painted on it, and sometimes it ain't there at all. Always ridiculously narrow, always offering a false sense of security.

Take it from this desperate cyclist who still does not want to drive, and who has no other means of getting to work on time, that the Rock Road is a disaster waiting to happen for cyclists.

Speeding is commonplace. There is little or no regard for the so-called cycle lanes that exist there. So two years on, I am still forced onto the footpath. - Yours, etc,

FIONA RYAN,
Castlewood Avenue,
Dublin 6.

Hungrycol

Verb wrote: »

Anyone cycle this route ? Is it as bad as she says ?

Merrion Road is worse coming from town. Two narrow lanes of traffic in the one direction. Ahhhh everyone sitting their cars dying to get home to sit in front of the telly with a takeaway :rolleyes:

Raam

I cycle that way of occasion. It's not my favourite road as it's quite fast and busy.

High&Low

I cycle this route, from Deansgrange into town and back every day.

Rock Road into town isn't too bad until you get to the Tara Towers hotel to the merrion gates, there it becomes the scariest road possible, no bus/cycle lane, narrow lanes, road in appaling condition and has been this way for more than two years.

On the way home past the merrion gates/tara towers it is almost worse and the Rock Road is really scary as the cycle/bus lane is incredibly narrow and although buses/taxis have not enough room to overtake, they do so anyway often forcing you off your bike.

The cyclist who wrote the letter to the Irish Times cycles against the rush hour traffic, so instead of just dealing with the appaling road she is also dealing with cars going past at speed.

Hungrycol

Hungrycol wrote: »

Merrion Road is worse coming from town. Two narrow lanes of traffic in the one direction. Ahhhh everyone sitting their cars dying to get home to sit in front of the telly with a takeaway :rolleyes:

It gets quite narrow between Aylesbury Road and the Merrion Centre, but I'd prefer there to the Merrion Road going into town.

Edit: What High&Low said.

irishmotorist

I absolutely agree with this poor woman. The section just after Merrion gates is the worst part - you'd need a full suspension frame to try to go in a straight line there. I have felt on several occasions that I should write to the council involved (DL/Rathdown?) and insist that the person/people who created that surface - on both sides of the road - and called it 'finished' should be held personally responsible and fired from their job. If it was a contracted company, then they should get no more work on the roads from that council. If I made an equivalent balls-up in my job, I'd expect my neck to be on the block.

It's a complete danger on the bike and my only option is to stick to the middle of the left hand lane and hold up whatever traffic happens to be behind me until I get past the lunar surface.

For any road, particularly one that goes through such an affluent area in Dublin, it's a complete disgrace.

Raam

irishmotorist wrote: »

For any road, particularly one that goes through such an affluent area in Dublin, it's a complete disgrace.

You should see the jock-heap that the Howth Road is in .
Especially near Killester and Howth.

High&Low

irishmotorist wrote: »

I have felt on several occasions that I should write to the council involved (DL/Rathdown?)

I think part of the problem is that it is the border of DLR and South Dublin and both councils have responsibility.

Ghost Rider

The responsibility is shared so it can be abdicated by everyone? Beautifully Irish.

High&Low wrote: »

I think part of the problem is that it is the border of DLR and South Dublin and both councils have responsibility.

Downtime

I wonder what she has done about it? I had similar problems on a route I travel with massive pot holes. Wrote to the council and cc'ed my local TD's and low and behold on more than one occasion the problem was solved.

I also wrote to the council and td about a junction near my folks house where motoroists turing left end up on the wrong lane against the traffic and plastic bollard were installed.

She lives in D6, John Gormley is a great chap for getting stuff done for cyclists. She should get in contact with him.

Stark

A friend of mine was asking whoever was in charge about the state of the section after Merrion before after he wrecked his bike (wheels got stuck in a crack or something) and had to claim for damage. Apparently the cost of reimbursing the cyclists who make claims is a small fraction of what it would cost to do up the road.

blorg

It is a bad route all right, particularly between Merrion Gates and Booterstown - four lanes crammed into a road that isn't wide enough for them and the road in awful condition. You just have to take the inner lane and not be intimidated by motorists around you.

Between Booterstown and Blackrock it is somewhat better but there is the alternative of the cycle track through the park there if you are not in a rush.

Victor

irishmotorist wrote: »

It's a complete danger on the bike and my only option is to stick to the middle of the left hand lane and hold up whatever traffic happens to be behind me until I get past the lunar surface.

Agreed. Don't hold up traffic deliberately, but take control of the lane and this discourages motorists from over taking too close.