Dangerous pothole Rock Road

schemingbohemia

Luckily avoided a large pothole in the cycle lane on the rock road earlier. It's in the northbound lane just where the wall around Blackrock college starts. Have notified DLR.

schemingbohemia

Fair play to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown, I tweeted them about this on Sunday and Monday afternoon a temporary solution was provided (according to them, I didn't cycle in this morning).

daragh_

Noticed that myself.

Thanks for following up on it. I'll check in the morning and post if it's been filled.

Seaswimmer

It was filled this morning but very poorly. First shower of rain and a few buses over it and all the tarmac will be out again..

Alanbt

Seaswimmer wrote: »

It was filled this morning but very poorly. First shower of rain and a few buses over it and all the tarmac will be out again..

I passed it today, really shoddy job. some loose debris already around it.
Avoid the cycle lane for a little strech there if you can

C3PO

The cycle lane on the Rock Road is an absolute mess in both directions from about Blackrock Clinic to Carroll & Kinsella Motors. Cycle it every day and drive taxi drivers mad by riding out in the middle of the bus lane - much prefer to ride in the cycle lane but to do so would guarantee regular punctures!

Alanbt

C3PO wrote: »

The cycle lane on the Rock Road is an absolute mess in both directions from about Blackrock Clinic to Carroll & Kinsella Motors. Cycle it every day and drive taxi drivers mad by riding out in the middle of the bus lane - much prefer to ride in the cycle lane but to do so would guarantee regular punctures!

That's probably the best approach to take. Last year I hit a hidden pothole on the stretch and ended up smashing my shoulder into a bus. Dislocated AC joint is not fun.

ted1

C3PO wrote: »

The cycle lane on the Rock Road is an absolute mess in both directions from about Blackrock Clinic to Carroll & Kinsella Motors. Cycle it every day and drive taxi drivers mad by riding out in the middle of the bus lane - much prefer to ride in the cycle lane but to do so would guarantee regular punctures!

You should use the cycle path in the park,it's far better than the road option

godtabh

Alanbt wrote: »

That's probably the best approach to take. Last year I hit a hidden pothole on the stretch and ended up smashing my shoulder into a bus. Dislocated AC joint is not fun.

That's the approach I take

horslips

ted1 wrote: »

You should use the cycle path in the park,it's far better than the road option

That is a fair point but then you have to negotiate the narrow path alongside the train platform in Blackrock - unless you want to circumnavigate the entire park! Plus you most likely have a longish wait at Booterstown lights to get back across the road.

Going off topic but the most dangerous part of that cycle to town, in my opinion, is between the lights after Booterstown and the lights before the Merrion Gates. That stretch is crying out for a cyclelane - and it is not as if the paths are not wide enough. There is no buslane along there either.

Seaswimmer

ted1 wrote: »

You should use the cycle path in the park,it's far better than the road option

Takes a bit longer though. However I would probably use it if they sorted the bit behind the Dart station out. Anybody know if the owners of that large house have ever been approached about donating a few feet off their huge garden??

I would imagine if the S2S cycleway ever comes to pass then that short section will have to be sorted out one way or the other.

ted1

Seaswimmer wrote: »

Takes a bit longer though. However I would probably use it if they sorted the bit behind the Dart station out. Anybody know if the owners of that large house have ever been approached about donating a few feet off their huge garden??

I would imagine if the S2S cycleway ever comes to pass then that short section will have to be sorted out one way or the other.

I go on to Killiney so it works out faster as i use the cotraflow lane on idrone avenue and bypass all the red lights by the new cycle lane..

schemingbohemia

Seaswimmer wrote: »

Takes a bit longer though. However I would probably use it if they sorted the bit behind the Dart station out. Anybody know if the owners of that large house have ever been approached about donating a few feet off their huge garden??

I would imagine if the S2S cycleway ever comes to pass then that short section will have to be sorted out one way or the other.

Apparently the previous owners claimed there was a (and I kid you not) "micro-climate" created by the wall along their back garden and that removing it would have a massive impact on it. I think I heard it's under new ownership so might be tried again, it would really make that section so much easier to navigate.

daragh_

horslips wrote: »

That is a fair point but then you have to negotiate the narrow path alongside the train platform in Blackrock - unless you want to circumnavigate the entire park! Plus you most likely have a longish wait at Booterstown lights to get back across the road.

Going off topic but the most dangerous part of that cycle to town, in my opinion, is between the lights after Booterstown and the lights before the Merrion Gates. That stretch is crying out for a cyclelane - and it is not as if the paths are not wide enough. There is no buslane along there either.

It can get a bit messy during rush hours but I've never felt unsafe. Taking the lane helps a lot and mostly drivers are reasonably aware of bikes (apart from the occasional person sitting in their car eating breakfast/doing makeup/reading the paper). A bike lane on both sides to the standard of the one along the Blackrock Bypass would be great. I see a lot of people cycling on the path on the stretches you mentioned. Nervous of traffic I suppose but they are a menace to pedestrians.


The new bike lanes along the bypass are great. Nice and wide, surface is good and the sensor on the lights at the top of Temple Hill actually works.

Harrybelafonte

daragh_ wrote: »

It can get a bit messy during rush hours but I've never felt unsafe. Taking the lane helps a lot and mostly drivers are reasonably aware of bikes (apart from the occasional person sitting in their car eating breakfast/doing makeup/reading the paper). A bike lane on both sides to the standard of the one along the Blackrock Bypass would be great. I see a lot of people cycling on the path on the stretches you mentioned. Nervous of traffic I suppose but they are a menace to pedestrians.


The new bike lanes along the bypass are great. Nice and wide, surface is good and the sensor on the lights at the top of Temple Hill actually works.

bar the mini wall to get from road onto cycle path if you miss the start, I agree.

daragh_

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

bar the mini wall to get from road onto cycle path if you miss the start, I agree.

You need to work more on your Bunnyhops

Agent Smyth

schemingbohemia wrote: »

Apparently the previous owners claimed there was a (and I kid you not) "micro-climate" created by the wall along their back garden and that removing it would have a massive impact on it. I think I heard it's under new ownership so might be tried again, it would really make that section so much easier to navigate.

As far as I remember that stretch by the Dart is a pathway and not a cycle lane, there used to be a sign that told cyclists to dismount. The cycle path continues through the park up to the main road if I remember correctly.

ted1

Agent Smyth wrote: »

As far as I remember that stretch by the Dart is a pathway and not a cycle lane, there used to be a sign that told cyclists to dismount. The cycle path continues through the park up to the main road if I remember correctly.

You are right, however walking your bike through the lane makes you much wider. IT's safer and better to stay mounted and lean against a wall when letting people pass.

Agent Smyth

ted1 wrote: »

You are right, however walking your bike through the lane makes you much wider. IT's safer and better to stay mounted and lean against a wall when letting people pass.

That's exactly what I used to do:)

Doctor Bob

schemingbohemia wrote: »

Apparently the previous owners claimed there was a (and I kid you not) "micro-climate" created by the wall along their back garden and that removing it would have a massive impact on it. I think I heard it's under new ownership so might be tried again, it would really make that section so much easier to navigate.

Urban myth alert! Have to nip this one in the bud. There might be a micro-climate, but I don't think this was the main reason for the reluctance to move the wall. (It was certainly the case in Mount Congreve in Waterford, when a road scheme was being developed in the late '90s, but not here.)

There is a memorial shrine to the previous owners' son at the foot of the garden, backing right onto the boundary wall.

Not long before the owner died, DLRCC made an approach to him regarding the widening of the path. He was open to the idea in principle, on condition that the memorial shrine not be moved, but the deal wasn't sealed before his departure.

Now that he has passed away and the house has changed hands, I’m not sure where the issue of path widening stands, i.e. whether the new owners would be open to the widening, whether they’d move the shrine, or even if the shrine had been relocated already by the previous family following the sale.

If you look at the site on Google satellite, the grounds inside the boundary wall are just heavily planted. Aside from the memorial temple I can't see that there would be much of a barrier in principle to taking some of the land, but given the formal, axial garden layout (and the possibility that the owners get tax break for allowing public access to the gardens? Some photos here: http://www.garden.ie/albumUpdate.aspx?id=3038&idalbum=15509), I'd imagine that there would still be some constraints.

(AFAIK, when Irish Rail wanted to extend the station platforms in the 2000s they sought to CPO the land and the owner stood his ground, arguing that CPO could only be used where all other avenues had been exhausted. He was right and won the case. IR extended the platforms anyway, the wall stayed put and a previously narrow path became much narrower.)

machiavellianme

Watch out for the horrible pothole on the way out of town beside the texaco (just past Merrion gates).
It seems to have morphed into a pothole within a pothole now with a mini mountain thrown on top for good measure.