Swords Road upgrades around the airport?

monument

Does anybody know what exactly is happening with the Swords Road around the airport? I'm gussing it's part of the QBC upgrades?

Are there any details or plans online?

markpb

There's a thread about it in the DC-N forum.

Victor

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055894375 is actually on the Roads forum. Also: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=73370145

markpb

Oops, you're right. I was thinking of this thread: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055916823

monument

It's a fairly mixed bag for cyclists. It's good to see that they've went with on-road cycle lanes (the EIS wrongly calls them cycleways, but the drawings and cross-sections show on-road cycle lanes).

Even taken into account that this was designed before the new Cycle Manual, 1.5m cycle lanes are now outdated and it's sad to see such small lanes going on a road with higher speed limits. It's also funny that a search of the EIS does not find the speed limits mentioned??? Maybe Fingal could follow DLR's lead with this (which has legal backing etc):



One of the main other issue is that, currently, the Airport Roundabout isn't cycling friendly and, in the absence of changing it, some cyclists will want to continue to use the (fairly poor shared use crossing) off-road bypass. Travelling south, inbound towards the city, cyclists cross at crossing at The Coachman's Inn, use the crossing at the airport side of the Airport Roundabout and then use the crossing just south of the roundabout to get back on the right side of the main road. But they plan to move this last crossing but there's no sign of them extending the cycleway in place to it (inside of the footpath which leads up to it from the roundabout).

For clarity, here's the current route mapped. It's of poor quality, but some people just won't use the Airport Roundabout -- for good reason really!

One last thing: I don't like the look of the Collinstown Cross junction -- northbound cycle lane looks like it faces the island build-out. And on the drawing it says: "The upgrade of Collinstown Cross is a 'An Bord Planeala' condition of grant for a separate planning application" -- what does that even mean?

One

Victor

monument wrote: »

One last thing: I don't like the look of the Collinstown Cross junction -- northbound cycle lane looks like it faces the island build-out. And on the drawing it says: "The upgrade of Collinstown Cross is a 'An Bord Planeala' condition of grant for a separate planning application" -- what does that even mean?

Presumably, the council or DAA are required to improved Collinstown Cross if they want to proceed with that other project. Note that the Southern Perimeter Road: http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,716511,742292,5,3 was built about 1988 and is likely to still be in DAA ownership. There have been big changes in the local road network over the years.

One

?

monument

Victor wrote: »

Presumably...
?

You can't presume anything about that sentence given how badly it is written. I guess my question would be: Is the redesigned junction the one shown, or did ABP direct them to redesign it and what is shown is the unchanged original plan rejected by ABP?

And I don't know how the extra one got in there.

Victor

Where are the current drawings on show?

monument wrote: »

You can't presume anything about that sentence given how badly it is written. I guess my question would be: Is the redesigned junction the one shown, or did ABP direct them to redesign it and what is shown is the unchanged original plan rejected by ABP?

Reading it and the other thread, I would imagine it was a requirement of the T2, parallel runway, etc. planning that the junction be improved.

Cookie_Monster

monument wrote: »

For clarity, here's the current route mapped. It's of poor quality, but some people just won't use the Airport Roundabout -- for good reason really!

Used it a few times, never found an issue. Why would you not want to use it and have to do the crossing sequence you suggested above?
People shouldn't be cycling on the road full stop if a simple roundabout like that frightens them. Sometimes I think there should be a cycling test you know...

L1011

Victor wrote: »

Presumably, the council or DAA are required to improved Collinstown Cross if they want to proceed with that other project

I'm pretty certain (I looked into it at the time) that the "other project" was Terminal 2.

monument

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Used it a few times, never found an issue.

You, me and many others here maybe well able for it, that does not mean it's everybody's cup of tea. I would use it over the current excuse for a alternative every day if it was my commute. But at the same time I can see why others would not...

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Why would you not want to use it and have to do the crossing sequence you suggested above?

...

• It's not at all designed with cyclists in mind
• Speeds are too high
• It's very large
• There's motorway slip roads leading up to and away from it
• Many people don't or can't cycle too fast, and cycling fast is key to cycling this kind of roundabout anyway safely
• You mix in-lane with very large trucks

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

People shouldn't be cycling on the road full stop if a simple roundabout like that frightens them. Sometimes I think there should be a cycling test you know...

Great attitude to have! Very silly really, comparing not wanting to cycle on such a large roundabout and roads in general. Not everybody wants to deal with fast moving traffic, half of it heading to the motorway, and large trucks etc.