Royal Canal Greenway

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121041508#Comment_121041508

I think the access through the cul de sacs could be pushed back to a later stage and not have that issue holding up progress on the main part of it.

CPO (if required) would seem to be cheaper (and faster) than the over engineered flyovers that were proposed and also contentious.

Very surprised to see a new house being built right beside Castleknock bridge. You'd think they could have a pedestrian/cycling tunnel there.

magicbastarder

aside from the above issues, they need some sort of mile markers on the greenway - a relative recently needed an ambulance called after a fall along the royal canal, and it was over one hour before the ambulance crew got to her. they went to the wrong place at least twice (i'm told the correct location *was* given, but can't vouch for that). she fell near navan road parkway, but the ambulance first went to coolmine and then the 12th lock from what i heard.

people using the greenway would not have a handy 'we're beside the junction of X and Y' way of giving location instructions, so a pole or number every few hundred metres could be cheap and useful for that.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121041834#Comment_121041834

True. Good idea.

One of the criticisms (Valid IMO) was an inability to label locations that weren't buildings. Beaches, mountains, walks, parks, pitches.

Workaround is location sharing via google maps etc. But its not as easy as it could be. Also parking apps manage it fine.

magicbastarder

it's more of an issue with 'touristy' greenways i'd say - we saw the aftermath of a spill about 8 or 10km from dungarvan a few years back, and thinking back, if that had been me, i'd have been hard pressed to describe where we were to an ambulance crew. that sort of greenway is much more likely to attract people unfamiliar with the area.

Flinty997

Remote places are everywhere. Not just Greenways. Mileage markers are a nice idea though.

magicbastarder

yes, remote places are everywhere, but 99.99% of remote places don't attract tourists like a greenway would.

Flinty997

Beaches and Pitches are pretty popular. :)

magicbastarder

heh, we're debating about nothing now. when people go to a beach, they usually know the name of the beach! or the grounds.

Flinty997

If ambulance crew don't know near "near navan road parkway" a train station. we've not much hope.

Former Former Former

This thread is now five years old so perhaps time for an update.

Per one of the local reps, Fingal are gone back to the drawing board on this because of updates to the 'Cycle Design Manual'… now targeting submission to ABP in Q4 2024, which means it will be Q1 2025 at the earliest, and assuming the backlog at ABP persists, it will be well into 2026 before we see any actual construction.

Why Fingal feel this particular stretch of the Greenway has to be compliant with the Cycle Manual when all the other stretches are not, I don't know.

jeffk

Cycled too Maynooth the other day and same old things that put me off using it

There's no hope until you get too the amenities part and I was in a 29 MTB and still had issues with muck etc

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121961692#Comment_121961692

Louisa Bridge to Maynooth is about to be closed off for upgrade works

jeffk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121962146#Comment_121962146

That's another few months gone again

I'll try again in 25 so, annual can I cycle too maynooth spin

Former Former Former

Maybe worth noting, there was a lot of talk about NIMBYs etc holding up this project.

It's now nearly three years since the last round of public consultation closed (July 2021) and nothing has happened, even though Fingal have said they're ignoring the objections and proceeding with the original preferred route.

jeffk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121964727#Comment_121964727

Yeah I was talking too two woman and they where giving out stink about people pushing "their" back garden's out

Such a shame as it's great too cycle it without worrying about traffic and listening too and seeing nature

Former Former Former

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121964932#Comment_121964932

Well yeah, but those gardens have been there for years, the objections to the route have been lodged for three years, but there has been zero actual progress by the council. NIMBYs and land grabbers are not the problem here, it's Fingal.

Edit: also worth remembering that many of those extended gardens were done with either the express permission of Waterways Ireland or at least tacit agreement. It's my understanding that the "worst" ones down by Castleknock station, stretching all the way to the water, were given 99 year leases to reduce the maintenance burden for the canal.

Flinty997

It was far easier to get back all the land used for gardens. They've now allowed new houses to be built on this space. Which is just insane.

They also tried to do things like access through cul de sacs which was nice to have not need to have. It's like they wanted to create things for people to object to.

The whole thing is over engineered. All it needed was a simple surfaced path.

You could probably get a mini digger to widen the existing path and it would night and day difference for a fraction of the cost and time..

jeffk

It really is a mess and then you look at what took months I could not believe it, basically from one station too another

Also from the Amenities onwards isnt that bad, from Blanch to it is in a bad way, well a small part at Porterstown is grand

A Knight of Ireland

Those houses on Roselawn who have their gardens extended have legal possession of their extended gardens either by purchase or adverse possession. Seemingly they just have to keep their boundary 26ft from the waters edge. This 26ft is a right of passage for Inland Waterways. Definitely not big enough for a walkway so if they want a greenway, it has to be on the South Bank definitely past Roselawn anyway.

magicbastarder

the houses on roselawn road are not in play in terms of the greenway, based on the last design i saw - the greenway as due to be on the other side of the canal from them.

daymobrew

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121968989#Comment_121968989

Exactly, and there will be a diagonal bridge from south bank to north bank to join with the green at Brompton. See drawing 22.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121968989#Comment_121968989

It's a dumb design.

Should all be on the north bank. Then they wouldn't need the bridge at all.

daymobrew

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121970191#Comment_121970191

I can think of a few reasons why the dual bank layout works:

1. It means you don't have to deal with the extended gardens on Roselawn Road (some have gone right to the canal bank).
2. It's easier to go under Castleknock Road from south bank (there's space for the planned tunnel).
3. The bridge option is easier for people getting off (or onto) the train, instead of having to go to Castleknock Road, along the narrow path and back onto the north bank.

Flinty997

Can't argue gardens are not in play if you have to build a bridge to go around them. Considering the bridge itself then creates additional objections.

There's more space on the south bank. Well before they built new houses on that location. In fact you can hardly argue there isn't enough space if it was possible to build houses there.

Selling it as debatable commuter route instead of the original premise of Greenway will raise even more objections.

Can we have a simple path. No that's too hard. But you have to have a bridge, tunnel, commuter route. All costing millions.

Former Former Former

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121970403#Comment_121970403

There's more space on the south bank. Well before they built new houses on that location. In fact you can hardly argue there isn't enough space if it was possible to build houses there.

I think you're confusing north and south bank. The new houses across the canal from Castleknock train station are on the north bank (the Blanchardstown side).

The new houses are set well back from the canal, they aren't really relevant. But the problem is if the older houses have 99-year leases on the canal bank, then you're into CPO territory with all the budget and legal implications that go with it.

Flinty997

Point being, the route is contorted because of it.