Phoenix Park Castleknock Entrance closed for 9 weeks from 28th September

fletch

Just putting a link to this other thread as it will be of interest to a lot of cyclists,

Gavin

Closed for cyclists ?

edit - just saw the website
"Cyclists and pedestrians can use the Castleknock pedestrian gates as normal."

I don't use the pedestrian gates! And what's more I have righteous rage when I see cyclists using the pedestrian gate. These feckers are going to turn me into a raging hypocrite.

niceonetom

That's grand, I use the pedestrian gate on my out of the park anyway.

Lumen

I feel for the car palpers, this is going to cause huge traffic problems.

niceonetom

Lumen wrote: »

I feel for the car palpers, this is going to cause huge traffic problems.

Fuck 'em.

Yes, this will be very inconvenient for them.

Lumen

niceonetom wrote: »

Yes, this will be very inconvenient for them.

You should try getting from Clonsilla into town for an eye appointment with two toddlers (one of them teething, the other one with the squirts) on a bus or train packed nose-to-armpit with commuters.

That'd learn you some empathy. :pac:

niceonetom

I doubt it. I'd probably feel a lot of anger and frustration but I still wouldn't give a crap about the plight of dublin's motorists.

Lumen

niceonetom wrote: »

I doubt it. I'd probably feel a lot of anger and frustration but I still wouldn't give a crap about the plight of dublin's motorists.

My point was, whilst there are lots of people clogging up the roads because they're lazy feckers, they're also holding up other people who have a genuine reason to use a car or other motorised device.

"Dublin's motorists" are not a homogenous group of people worthy of your scorn, they're just a bunch of people trying to get along, though I obviously respect your right to not give a crap.

Doctor Bob

On the plus side... (from the other thread)-

munsterbear wrote: »

Traffic from Carpenterstown may head through Chapelizard but that's already bad. Rest that comes through Castleknock village will head down Blackhorse Ave or Navan Rd. I for one will be cycling more. At the moment try to cycle 3/4 times a week. But no way I'm sitting in that traffic. Quick note to drivers, try remember the cyclists and leave a bit of room between path and your car.

BostonB wrote: »

Same here. my 2/3 times a week will now be 5 times.

Lumen- Maybe if enough people think likewise, your journey won't be such a drag.:)

niceonetom

Lumen wrote: »

"Dublin's motorists" are not a homogenous group of people worthy of your scorn, they're just a bunch of people trying to get along, though I obviously respect your right to not give a crap.

Wah wah wah.

No, you're right.

ROK ON

Firstly, yippee. I can now bomb it down Chesterfield Ave in the morning.

However, I do feel for some of the lazy sods. Infrastructure planning in D15 is woeful. For many people living in D15 they have a choice of three routes home:
(1) Knockmaroon Hill in CHapelizod - very narrow, and Chap aint exactly reknowned for free flowing traffic,
(2) Thru the Park and out Castleknock gate,
(3) Out Navan Road and thru Blanch or up Auburn Ave.

As a country we have built all these housing estates, and not provided adequate infrastructure for people to travel to them. While I am happy about the park being less full of traffic, I do genuinely feel sorry for folks who have to drive and are now fubared. It is no fun, and very stressful trying to get from work and to, say a creche on time.

This will result in absolute mayhem in an area that already has the worst traffic in Dublin IMO.

Usual lack of planning.
Should have been done during summer, when there was less traffic on the road.

uberwolf

they may also want to have considered not doing this when the entire northern commuter train line was out of commission forcing people on to the roads

fletch

Gavin wrote: »

edit - just saw the website
"Cyclists and pedestrians can use the Castleknock pedestrian gates as normal."

Oh never spotted that lol thanks.

Jip

Gavin wrote: »

I don't use the pedestrian gates! And what's more I have righteous rage when I see cyclists using the pedestrian gate. These feckers are going to turn me into a raging hypocrite.

I'll keep out of your way so ! If the lights are green I'll take the road out, if not, saunter on out the pedestrian gate and slip onto the road.

As an aside, anyone else think the road surface from the park gate towards Castleknock village is awful ? It's not something you notice in a car but when on the bike it's like cycling over the moon.

fletch

Jip wrote: »

As an aside, anyone else think the road surface from the park gate towards Castleknock village is awful ? It's not something you notice in a car but when on the bike it's like cycling over the moon.

Yes, I absolutely hate this part of my commute. It shakes me to bits....I often wondered was I the only person it bothered, really slows you down too. I complained to the council but it doesn't look like they'll do anything about it...they did fill a few of the deeper potholes but that was about it.

Robertd_07

fletch wrote: »

Yes, I absolutely hate this part of my commute. It shakes me to bits....I often wondered was I the only person it bothered, really slows you down too. I complained to the council but it doesn't look like they'll do anything about it...they did fill a few of the deeper potholes but that was about it.

Cycle this way every day. Pretty shocking. I'm on a mtb, can imagine it'd be even worse on a road bike. But even more annoying is how all the cars are tight against the kerb coming up to the lights at auburn avenue. Generally end up cycling in the middle of the road till I pass the lights.

Vélo

Robertd_07 wrote: »

Cycle this way every day. Pretty shocking. I'm on a mtb, can imagine it'd be even worse on a road bike. But even more annoying is how all the cars are tight against the kerb coming up to the lights at auburn avenue. Generally end up cycling in the middle of the road till I pass the lights.

I can understand the cars being tight near Auburn Avenue. There's two lanes of traffic so there's nowhere else for the cars to go.

MadHatter

If you want to avoid the stretch of road from Castleknock Gate to Auburn Avenue, try existing the park through Whites Gate (beside Farmleigh). Whites Road was recently re-surfaced and it's now super smooth and virtually car-free.

I use it every evening, then turn right at Castleknock College to come back to main road at the side of Myos. Adds a little distance (and time if the lights work against you) but a much nicer cycle.

Jip

fletch wrote: »

Yes, I absolutely hate this part of my commute. It shakes me to bits....I often wondered was I the only person it bothered, really slows you down too. I complained to the council but it doesn't look like they'll do anything about it...they did fill a few of the deeper potholes but that was about it.

No, not just you ! I hate that bit more so than any hills I need to get up. I think a total resurfacing is the only thing that can be done to correct it as apart from the potholes the surface is completely pitted.

Robert, completely agree with the cars being completely tight against the kerb. I don't think there's any need for it until maybe you get close to Auburn Avenue where the right turn filter begins, but up until there the road is fairly wide along that stretch sO I don't understand why some people do it. If there's too many cars that close I'll filter on the outside if traffic is not moving well as I turn right onto Auburn Avenue anyway to skip Castleknock Village.

Madhatter, that's a thought, plus you skip the worse of traffic in the village too, might give it a try this evening.

Robertd_07

MadHatter wrote: »

If you want to avoid the stretch of road from Castleknock Gate to Auburn Avenue, try existing the park through Whites Gate (beside Farmleigh). Whites Road was recently re-surfaced and it's now super smooth and virtually car-free.

I use it every evening, then turn right at Castleknock College to come back to main road at the side of Myos. Adds a little distance (and time if the lights work against you) but a much nicer cycle.

Sounds lovely, but for me to go home it'd be quicker to go straight on at the lights, and down Carpenterstown Road, and that's a really, really dreadful road.
See guys on road bike on it from time to time. Think they're nuts. Last year saw a woman flip her car on this road. Avoid it like the plague myself.

Turbulent Bill

Jip wrote: »

No, not just you ! I hate that bit more so than any hills I need to get up. I think a total resurfacing is the only thing that can be done to correct it as apart from the potholes the surface is completely pitted.

Another shaken commuter here. The surface is so rough from the park to he village that even my MTB vibrates badly, not looking forward to taking the road bike on it. Castleknock Village itself is an assault course with potholes, bumps from bad road repairs and slippery drain/manhole covers all across the road surface. I've cycled many, many times through here but I'm never comfortable with it.

Gavin

It's a bit shakey alright, but smooths out quickly enough.

BuyingorSelling

yea then gets really bad again from the church to the lights. There was talk of the council putting a cycle lane in through castleknock. Is there a way we could request one be put in, who should we contact in the council

ROK ON

BuyingorSelling wrote: »

yea then gets really bad again from the church to the lights. There was talk of the council putting a cycle lane in through castleknock. Is there a way we could request one be put in, who should we contact in the council

The road in many parts of the village (near shops) and across of CofI churuch is probably not wide enough fr a cycle path that would not be used by motorised traffic. Also, I doubt that we will see much more cash spent on cycle paths given upcoming legislation to remove the compulsory use of them.

mmclo

MadHatter wrote: »

If you want to avoid the stretch of road from Castleknock Gate to Auburn Avenue, try existing the park through Whites Gate (beside Farmleigh). Whites Road was recently re-surfaced and it's now super smooth and virtually car-free.

shhhh...the feckers will open it to cars while the other one is closed!!

MadHatter

mmclo wrote: »

shhhh...the feckers will open it to cars while the other one is closed!!

Yeah, that was my first reaction when I heard they were closing the Castleknock gate, but thankfully they are not opening this one, at least not according to the map linked to earlier.

I guess they don't want the big nobs visiting Farmleigh to be stuck in rush hour traffic...

mockler007

whats with the 9 weeks??? when i lived in germany they installed a autobahn bridge in one night, no wonder we are in a resesh, and for the car drivers living in that area, cycle for gods sake, how many hours do you waste your life in a car going nower, get fit and cycle, and stop wasting your money and time on cars, carbon emissions are going to cost us millions, and its what your road tax is paying for,

BostonB

Apparently they are doing the drainage aswell. Always floods there.

That said I don't see why thy have to have a permanent roundabout either. Why? Waste of money. Also its a problems for car racing or any other event. Completely pointless. Time to moan to the local politicians. They say 5~9 weeks. But its completely bonkers why they are doing this now and not before the schools went back. Head should roll tbh. It will be chaos.

Castleknock road is very poor for cycling, was on it the first time, in ages at the weekend. I don't use it though I use Whites Gate. Which is lovely. That said the next stretch from Castleknock College to the Sand pits/Carpenterstown road is another bone shaker. Its like the moon. Its the worse stretch on my commuter. Well from Islandbridge to the Kilmanham is brutal too. The rest is fine.

Anyone notice there is no cycle lane from D.15 into the park anywhere.

mmclo

BostonB wrote: »

That said the next stretch from Castleknock College to the Sand pits/Carpenterstown road is another bone shaker. Its like the moon. Its the worse stretch on my commuter. Well from Islandbridge to the Kilmanham is brutal too. The rest is fine.

Anyone notice there is no cycle lane from D.15 into the park anywhere.

And these are busy cycling routes...couldn't Castleknock College be prevailed upon to make a strip of land available!

BostonB

They could move the wall back on the college side. Its not used for anything by the college anyway. There verge is over a metre wide on the other side, just all overgrown.

Jip

MadHatter wrote: »

If you want to avoid the stretch of road from Castleknock Gate to Auburn Avenue, try existing the park through Whites Gate (beside Farmleigh). Whites Road was recently re-surfaced and it's now super smooth and virtually car-free.

Tried this yesterday evening. Not a bad route but it's an uphill drag up to the lights which if you're knackered by the time you're get there is not good The issue I have with it is that I need to turn right to get into Blanchardstown Village so once you turn right at the lights traffic can be bad at the Myos set of lights. And then when you turn left there traffic is pretty slow with not much space to get by.

I might stick with exiting the Castleknock gate, suffer until Auburn Avenue which is then fine once you're on it and use the pedestrian bridge over the M50 which brings you out at The Twelfth Lock.

MadHatter

Jip wrote: »

Tried this yesterday evening. Not a bad route but it's an uphill drag up to the lights which if you're knackered by the time you're get there is not good

Consider it some additional training

Jip wrote: »

The issue I have with it is that I need to turn right to get into Blanchardstown Village so once you turn right at the lights traffic can be bad at the Myos set of lights. And then when you turn left there traffic is pretty slow with not much space to get by.

Hmmm, maybe heavier traffic at the time you were using it, but I generally find the run down to Myos okay until the last 200m or so, but when you get familiar with the light sequence you can safely filter up far enough to get through on the next set of lights. After the left turn the road is narrow past the church and then past the cottages, but widens again after that so tends to be okay despite the heavy traffic.

Jip wrote: »

I might stick with exiting the Castleknock gate, suffer until Auburn Avenue which is then fine once you're on it and use the pedestrian bridge over the M50 which brings you out at The Twelfth Lock.

Makes sense if going to Blanchardstown, I turn off at Laurel Lodge so I that bridge is no use for me.

fletch

Anyone else notice how it doesn't seem to matter what way the wind is going, the section of road from Beechpark Avenue to the M50 is a really fast section??

mmclo

fletch wrote: »

Anyone else notice how it doesn't seem to matter what way the wind is going, the section of road from Beechpark Avenue to the M50 is a really fast section??

It's downhill?

Seems to be loads of D.15 cyclists here...should there be a local campaign group?

fletch

mmclo wrote: »

It's downhill?

Seems to be loads of D.15 cyclists here...should there be a local campaign group?

Seems flat....maybe it is downhill but it doesn't look it...

BostonB

I would have thought it was a hill too. Do you not notice going the other direction? Castleknock itself is a hill. Climbs all the way from the park. Its just gradual you might not notice it.

BostonB

I thought it was a fairly obvious hill. Do you not notice in the other direction. Its a climb all the way from the quays to castleknock. Its just very gradual.

fletch

BostonB wrote: »

I thought it was a fairly obvious hill. Do you not notice in the other direction. Its a climb all the way from the quays to castleknock. Its just very gradual.

I'm just talking about this section...not the route all the way from the quays

mmclo

I find it's uphill to the first lights in the village then down, flattens out a bit where your talking about but the momentum usually continues.

Well it's pretty much etched in my mind doing it most days:eek:

BostonB

fletch wrote: »

I'm just talking about this section...not the route all the way from the quays

I was making two points.

If its uphill to castleknock therefore at some point you must come down.

Its pretty noticeable as you leave castleknock village you are going downhill. If only slightly.

That said I don't normally go that way.

Lumen

Turbulent Bill wrote: »

Another shaken commuter here. The surface is so rough from the park to he village that even my MTB vibrates badly, not looking forward to taking the road bike on it

I cycle over that on every commute, it's fine on a road bike. It gets smoother the faster you go. I wouldn't bother taking a detour just to avoid a bit of broken tarmac.

The most entertaining bit of crappy road around there is coming up to the first roundabout at the bottom of the park (from town). I normally bunnyhop off the footpad just before that to avoid the stupid cycle lane going round the corner, and filtering left of cars there is very "interesting".

BostonB

Cycle faster. I'll have to try that.

fletch

BostonB wrote: »

Cycle faster. I'll have to try that.

Must try that myself

Turbulent Bill

Lumen wrote: »

I cycle over that on every commute, it's fine on a road bike. It gets smoother the faster you go. I wouldn't bother taking a detour just to avoid a bit of broken tarmac.

The most entertaining bit of crappy road around there is coming up to the first roundabout at the bottom of the park (from town). I normally bunnyhop off the footpad just before that to avoid the stupid cycle lane going round the corner, and filtering left of cars there is very "interesting".

Was that you on the Uncle John yesterday evening, going through Castleknock at about 6:45? Nice bike, looks better in the flesh than on the PX site.

I was huffing and puffing on the black BeOne just behind you, first road bike commute so I was wobbling about like a new-born foal, studiously trying to avoid a commuter race . I'm starting to understand why 'smooth pedalling action' actually means something...

Jip

Lumen wrote: »

It gets smoother the faster you go.

I only use it on my route home, and that's usually my breather section as once I leave Blanchardstown Village I have a choice of going up the Snugborough Road past the Aquatic Centre, or up Blanchardstown Road North by the college. Either way can be soul destroying if you hit them when you're knackered and there's a head wind and you can see the distance you still have left to go.

Lumen

Turbulent Bill wrote: »

Was that you on the Uncle John yesterday evening, going through Castleknock at about 6:45? Nice bike, looks better in the flesh than on the PX site.

I was huffing and puffing on the black BeOne just behind you, first road bike commute so I was wobbling about like a new-born foal, studiously trying to avoid a commuter race . I'm starting to understand why 'smooth pedalling action' actually means something...

Woohoo, spotted! Yes, that was me, checking out your BeOne. I'd just been messing around off-road in the Park.

I thought commuting on the knobbly-tyred CX bike would be help with crap road surfaces, but it really makes little difference since I'm running 85psi to keep the resistance down. It's still better to go round (or hop over) the holes rather than roll on through them.

Bunnyhopper

AA Roadwatch has this:

Phoenix Park closures will lift on Monday 23rd November

Updated: 20/11/2009 16:00:44

The Mountjoy roundabout in the Phoenix Park will re-open to vehicular traffic from Monday 23rd November. In addition, the Ashtown and Cabra Gates will revert to two-way traffic and the routes which were temporarily opened to accommodate traffic movement within the Phoenix Park will be closed. Until then, commuter traffic is advised to take a route around the park as diversions take you onto smaller roads; Odd Lamp Rd and Furze Rd and long traffic queues are likely in the park at peak times. • Diversions at the Castleknock Gate will direct you in the Ashtown Gate, down Old lamp rd to the Phoenix Monument and out the Main Gate. • Coming from the Parkgate St entrance you will be diverted out the Cabra gate or the Knockmaroon gate so you are better off going around the park instead.

In addition, • Ashtown Gate will only allow entry to the park • Cabra Gate will only allow exit from the park. Traffic can go bothways through: • Nth Circular Rd Gate, • Main Gate on Parkgate St • Knockamroon Gate

Traffic is expected to be heavily affected in Castleknock, Auburn Ave, N3 Navan Rd and Cabra Rd, Knockmaroon Hill, Chapelizod and the Chapelizod Bypass and the Sth Circular Rd approaching Phoenix Park.

You are advised not use the park as a through route and only go in if that is your destination. VMS, warning and information signs will notify traffic on approach.

Worth bearing in mind if your commute takes you that way.

Mind you, it says "the Ashtown and Cabra Gates will revert to two-way traffic" but also "Ashtown Gate will only allow entry to the park," and "Cabra Gate will only allow exit from the park".

So that makes sense.

hunkymonkey

Thanks for the update.

Bunnyhopper wrote: »

AA Roadwatch has this:

Mind you, it says "the Ashtown and Cabra Gates will revert to two-way traffic" but also "Ashtown Gate will only allow entry to the park," and "Cabra Gate will only allow exit from the park".

So that makes sense.

Took me a couple of reads to make sense, think they should use paragraphs more. Where it says "Until then..." presumably means that it will remain in place til it changes over.