nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

Child Item

Greenways [greenway map of Ireland in post 1]

dowlingm

So there's been quite a bit of discussion of greenways on threads like Western Rail Corridor (Train & Rail Systems) and I was thinking it might be useful to have a thread which pulls together both technical discussion (for example how greenways can co-exist with adjacent roadways or railways) and news (expansions of existing greenways / announcements of new ones)

According to the Connaught Tribune there are moves on getting on Galway-Clifden along the old rail line alignment. Is there anything else starting to reach firm proposals as opposed to discussion?

MOD EDIT: Fantastic Greenway map of Ireland by riddlinrussell here: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1HAHB3jpXV7qgrTHgopH4Zl7-ItDHGEPv&ll=53.4320326010536%2C-8.939188105408448&z=7

Find more posts tagged with

Quick Links

Comments

EndaHonesty

pigtown wrote: »

I could have sworn that the council decided against incorporating the Barnagh tunnel only a few months ago due to the uncertainty around the new Foynes road. Have they changed their minds?

What would the Barnagh tunnel have to do with the Foynes road?

pigtown

I could have sworn that the council decided against incorporating the Barnagh tunnel only a few months ago due to the uncertainty around the new Foynes road. Have they changed their minds?

serfboard

EndaHonesty wrote: »

I hope they do the extending into Listowel first.

I'd imagine that extending the Listowel line would come out of Kerry County Councils budget whereas the Barnagh tunnel would come out of Limerick County Council's budget, so I think they're separate projects and the idea of which to do first doesn't arise.

EndaHonesty

marno21 wrote: »

A tender went out last week to extend the greenway to Listowel

They are doing both. A safe crossing of the N21 at Barnagh is important also as traffic is high speed there and would improve the safety of the greenway. Similar thing was done on the N59 near Newport recently during road realignment works.

Doing a job like a tunnel across the road makes sense when you're doing roadworks there anyway.

But they have just finished major works around Barna so doing another major job so soon after is a bit silly.
Presumably incorporating the Barna tunnel into the trail will require two tunnels? One to the north and another to the south?

It will surely cost a fortune and cause massive disruption on a route that is already full of bottle necks.

I hope they do the extending into Listowel first.

marno21

EndaHonesty wrote: »

I'm a big fan of Greenways and would love if we had a huge network of interlinked trails as I believe it would be a huge benefit for society and the economy.

I've cycled and walked the GST many times, it's a really great public amenity, and crossing the road to visit the Barna tunnel is well worth it.

But building some extra tunnels across a national route at presumably enormous cost to incorporate an existing tunnel into the trail seems like a huge expense for very little return.

Surely spending the money on extending the trail back into Limerick and on into Kerry would be a much use of the money...?

A tender went out last week to extend the greenway to Listowel

They are doing both. A safe crossing of the N21 at Barnagh is important also as traffic is high speed there and would improve the safety of the greenway. Similar thing was done on the N59 near Newport recently during road realignment works.

EndaHonesty

marno21 wrote: »

Limerick council seeking tenders for the construction of an underpass of the N21 at Barnagh and integration of the railway tunnel into the greenway

https://irl.eu-supply.com/app/rfq/publicpurchase_frameset.asp?PID=120594&B=ETENDERS_SIMPLE&PS=1&PP=ctm/Supplier/publictenders

I'm a big fan of Greenways and would love if we had a huge network of interlinked trails as I believe it would be a huge benefit for society and the economy.

I've cycled and walked the GST many times, it's a really great public amenity, and crossing the road to visit the Barna tunnel is well worth it.

But building some extra tunnels across a national route at presumably enormous cost to incorporate an existing tunnel into the trail seems like a huge expense for very little return.

Surely spending the money on extending the trail back into Limerick and on into Kerry would be a much use of the money...?

Muckyboots

marno21 wrote: »

Limerick council seeking tenders for the construction of an underpass of the N21 at Barnagh and integration of the railway tunnel into the greenway

https://irl.eu-supply.com/app/rfq/publicpurchase_frameset.asp?PID=120594&B=ETENDERS_SIMPLE&PS=1&PP=ctm/Supplier/publictenders

The people behind the GST should be honoured for their persistence and resilience. A shining example of Greenway triumph against adversity. Walkers- not talkers.

marno21

Limerick council seeking tenders for the construction of an underpass of the N21 at Barnagh and integration of the railway tunnel into the greenway

https://irl.eu-supply.com/app/rfq/publicpurchase_frameset.asp?PID=120594&B=ETENDERS_SIMPLE&PS=1&PP=ctm/Supplier/publictenders

AsianDub

Royal Canal Greenway in Dublin Delayed by at least 6 Months

http://irishcycle.com/2017/11/14/royal-canal-greenway-in-dublin-delayed-by-at-least-6-months/

veryangryman

Athlone has just given green light for a cycleway bridge over Shannon. If they can get Dunnes to forfeit the land around Montree rail track, should be good for an extra mile of greenway

Corca Baiscinn

loyatemu wrote: »

there's a short greenway at Blessington but Wicklow CC are planning to extend it so it goes all the way around the lakes (I posted a link to this earlier in the thread but the link is now dead; the project is still in planning though)

https://www.independent.ie/regionals/wicklowpeople/news/a-positive-step-for-blessington-greenway-plan-35895480.html

Think that's the one where the Yacht Club and a local resident have lodged objections

loyatemu

also a proposed greenway on the old Navan-Kingscourt railway line (this freight line only closed about 15 years ago so Irish Rail still own it, bridges etc are still intact)

http://www.meath.ie/media/Media,53399,en.pdf

loyatemu

there's a short greenway at Blessington but Wicklow CC are planning to extend it so it goes all the way around the lakes (I posted a link to this earlier in the thread but the link is now dead; the project is still in planning though)

https://www.independent.ie/regionals/wicklowpeople/news/a-positive-step-for-blessington-greenway-plan-35895480.html

[Deleted User]

riddlinrussell wrote: »

Thanks for all the help folks, I'll try and get more added as and when I can

why not just add the routes to Openstreetmap. That way they are available to everyone through multiple apps, sites etc and you can do a heck of a lot more with the data than just overlaying on a Google map

The old Cork Blackroack and Passage Railway line is now a lovely paved walk/cycleway between the Atlantic Pond and Passage:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cork,_Blackrock_and_Passage_Railway

http://www.walkingroutes.ie/1835-Cork-City-to-Passage-West.html#default

riddlinrussell

Thanks for all the help folks, I'll try and get more added as and when I can

Carawaystick

Theres a forestry road from Woodenbridge down to Arklow that's in the national cycling plan thingy to link up to the disused railway to Shileleagh

Theres 20+ km of cycling track loops completed around Lough Boora in Offaly

Theres a planned link from the end of the cycle track at Sutton on Dublin Bay to Malahide - public consultation closed last month

Theres a planned Greenway from Malahide Castle to Newbridge house outside Donabate. Public consultation happened last year or the year before.

MJohnston

Carawaystick wrote: »

The Royal Canal is complete from North Strand Road, Dublin, up to Castleknock train station.

Are you sure about that? Seems like the North Strand part only started work in September:

http://irishcycle.com/2017/07/10/construction-to-start-on-royal-canal-greenway-sections-in-dublin-city-this-year/

Also, the section between Broombridge and Ratoath Road is in a really poor state, and there are a lot of gate upgrades needed between Phibsboro and Ashtown.

Carawaystick

riddlinrussell wrote: »

As I said, its quite embryonic at this stage, I have only added the ones I have easily been able to find GPX/KML files so far, I plan to keep looking for more, hopefully some kind soul has done the entirety of the Northern Ireland greenway network plan as a GPX. I also don't have full info on which are planned/proposed/potential. The breakdown of those would be roughly:
.

The following are all complete

The Royal Canal is complete from North Strand Road, Dublin, up to Castleknock train station.
There's a greenway from Ashtown along the Tolka down to the N2
Theres a Greenway from Chapelizod along the right bank of the Liffey down to Islandbridge
There's a Greenway from the Battle of the Boyne site down to Drogheda. on the right bank of the Boyne

There's a greenway from somewhere west of the R113 down to Treasury buildings in Dublin along the Grand Canal, and from Hazelhatch(R405) west to the L2007

Carawaystick

loyatemu wrote: »

is there much left of the New Ross - Enniscorthy line though? I know there's a tunnel but the rest of the line was sold off I think.

The N30 runs on the railway from the Borris junction towards Rathgarogue.
https://www.google.ie/maps/@52.4196512,-6.8968612,2284m/data=!3m1!1e3

marno21

https://irl.eu-supply.com/app/rfq/publicpurchase_frameset.asp?PID=110677&B=ETENDERS_SIMPLE&PS=2&PP=ctm/Supplier/PublicTenders

Tender has been awarded for design of Listowel-Limerick county boundary greenway.

marno21

The alignment of the Castleisland branch has been breached by the new N23 bypass, so would likely be out for that reason. The cycle/walking path on the N21 element of the bypass seems to be reasonably well used.

The Tralee-Dingle railway is beyond recognition at this stage so we can likely rule that one out too. Cycle lanes are being added between Camp and Dingle as part of the N86 upgrade. Around 4km east of Annascaul is done and there is currently a 3km section east of Lispole and a 1km section west of Camp under construction.

riddlinrussell

Added some more data to the map, please let me know if you have any gpx files or information on any of the routes so I can update them, and if you want to contribute I can grant editing access.

Greenway Map

Del.Monte

Wanderer78 wrote: »

Has this track been cleared back, tried to walk it a couple of years ago?

It was but is disappearing again.

Del.Monte

And a lot of the New Ross/Macmine section has been obliterated by road widening.

loyatemu

riddlinrussell wrote: »

Given the railway continues from there to the Slaney theres a potential for a greenway running the length of the South-East. If I can find a GPX of that line I'll add it in to the map as a Proposed route. I'll try and add links to the proposals on each line.
Do let me know if you want to help, I'm happy to give editing permissions to anyone as long as they don't wreck the thing,

is there much left of the New Ross - Enniscorthy line though? I know there's a tunnel but the rest of the line was sold off I think.

Wanderer78

jd wrote:

There is some planning om Waterford-New Ross

Has this track been cleared back, tried to walk it a couple of years ago?

riddlinrussell

Given the railway continues from there to the Slaney theres a potential for a greenway running the length of the South-East. If I can find a GPX of that line I'll add it in to the map as a Proposed route. I'll try and add links to the proposals on each line.
Do let me know if you want to help, I'm happy to give editing permissions to anyone as long as they don't wreck the thing,

There is some planning om Waterford-New Ross
https://consult.kilkenny.ie/en/consultation/waterford-newross-greenway-part-8/chapter/drawings-relation-proposed-waterford-new-ross

riddlinrussell

Corca Baiscinn wrote: »

Hi RR, you need to include the Shannon Blueways, (www.bluewaysireland.org) so called because along river/canal rather than rail but some sections completed and some planned. Michel Ring announced major funding a few months ago to extend the existing link to Carrick on Shannon. Also don't see Carlingford to Omeath there which I think is complete. (Great Eastern Greenway/Louth co co) Bit unsure re your distinction between potential and proposed as in Enniskillen to Athenry for example. Is it not the case that both of these routes are both potentilal and proposed not least by the WRC posters on this very forum? You have included the Cross-Border Derry to Inishowen Wee Greenway which is being funded but there is also a proposal for a Greenway on the old Letterkenny to Burtonport line.
I like your idea of showing the potentilal for a network including Northern Ireland. Because of the competition for scarce funding each local group is going to be fighting its own corner and interested in the potentilal for its own locality from the leisure/health/safety/tourism/jobs perspective but the real potential lies in a countrywide network.

As I said, its quite embryonic at this stage, I have only added the ones I have easily been able to find GPX/KML files so far, I plan to keep looking for more, hopefully some kind soul has done the entirety of the Northern Ireland greenway network plan as a GPX. I also don't have full info on which are planned/proposed/potential. The breakdown of those would be roughly:

Planned: Has a definite route and planning permission
Proposed: A county council/Organisation with jurisdiction has written up a proposal document.
Potential: Any disused railway, canal route, or similar which does not fall into any of the other categories (AKA nobody has approved them yet)

There are a number of completed projects that are not on this map at all, oddly its been easier to find a lot of GPX of abandoned railways than active greenways. Also a gpx of, for example, the whole royal canal wouldnt be very useful as I don't know how easy it would be to split up to represent the completed and incomplete sections.

PS: If you are interested in the potential of a countrywide network have a look at the Northern Ireland Greenways Plan, its absolutely fantastic work and the product of a long campaign by NI Greenways.