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Commuting by cycling from Ashbourne to City Centre

axlmac

Wanted to know if anyone commutes from Ashbourne to the city centre by bike (as in pedaling) on a regular basis?

- Is it safe?
- How long does it take?
- Any tips?

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magicbastarder

i cycled from phibsboro to brindley park and back quite a few times years ago, and it typically took about 45 mins, but that was before that junction at the m50 reached its current form, iirc.
main issue i would consider is lights - once you get past the m50, most of the old N2 is unlit, and with the evenings closing in, i suspect you'd need lights which would actually illuminate the road in front of you, rather than being primarily to make yourself visible to motorists.

Get In There

axlmac wrote: »

Wanted to know if anyone commutes from Ashbourne to the city centre by bike (as in pedaling) on a regular basis?

- Is it safe?
- How long does it take?
- Any tips?

I do.

Yes it's safe for the most part. Easy for me to say though cos I've cycled this route countless times. No cycle lane after st vincents school so positioning is important especially that short stretch of road where Botanic House is as drivers be fighting to turn off, merge into next lane or trying to squeeze past you when there isn't room to pass safely so take up a primary position from there.

On the way back, Consitution hill can be a nightmare to filter through when it's jammed with traffic. (It's a given during school months) But again that's a very small stretch of road, it eases up after you cross the luas lines as traffic then tends to merge into one lane and you've got a bus lane to cycle in. The rest is grand really.

Takes me 50min from door to door on an avg day. Beats getting the 103/ashbourne connect. When school is back, the bike comes into its own despite the miserable weather. Good knowing your daily commute times will be consistent, the same couldn't be said for bus/car.

As magicbastarder said, good lights are essential, moreso along the old n2 during winter months.

My wife has this front light which is really quite good despite the cheap price. She's been using it the past two winters http://s.aliexpress.com/RF7VRRrE?fromSn

I've a dynamo light for winter. If I didn't have it, i'd buy the same light as my wife's.

Last but not least, there's an informal strava club aimed at people who commute on the old n2 if you wanna check it out

https://www.strava.com/clubs/9milers

Colm R

Just to add my €0.02 - I posted this on the Meath forum in response to the same query.

When I lived in Ashbourne years ago, I use to cycle to work near Blanchardstown. The route I took was really quiet once you get off the Ashbourne Ratoath road.

Maybe the old N2 would be a straighter line into Dublin but you'll be dealing with fast moving traffic all the way in. Whereas this way, it use to be such a pleasant cycle even in the dark. The roads are too narrow for cars to drive fast, except where you cross the busy Kilbride Ratoath road, and these roads are not used as rat runs. Except the last road up to Corduff which is narrow and can be used as a rat run if traffic on the M3 is held up.

I can't comment thereafter into the city. But look if your able to do it, go for it. Try it out at the weekend and see how it goes.

I'd love to do it again, but life has moved on for me.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/53.5...fd7b09!1m0!3e1

crosswords

I was riding Slane (through Ashbourne) to the city last year (90 mins at a brisk pace).
My route was via Coolquay to Kilshane cross.
Turn left towards the airport and ride in via Ballymun.
The Coolquay road (R135) is very quiet but the surface is a bit rough.
The road along the back of the airport (R108) is also oddly quiet.
Expect some headwind on the way home.

Muahahaha

Ive done this route a fair bit before as a leisure cycle. The old N2 is grand and flat with only a few slopes. The hard shoulder is handy to stay out of the way of traffic but it can suffer with debris, in the winter there might be puddles too. As others said good lights are very important as it would be pitch dark. Inside the m50 most of the route has bus lanes. Its defintely do-able as a commute though it might also be an idea to have a back up for the really rainy winter days.

bilbot79

crosswords wrote: »

I was riding Slane (through Ashbourne) to the city last year (90 mins at a brisk pace).
My route was via Coolquay to Kilshane cross.
Turn left towards the airport and ride in via Ballymun.
The Coolquay road (R135) is very quiet but the surface is a bit rough.
The road along the back of the airport (R108) is also oddly quiet.
Expect some headwind on the way home.

Was that your commute? It's some distance. We're you not exhausted?

crosswords

bilbot79 wrote: »

crosswords wrote: »

I was riding Slane (through Ashbourne) to the city last year (90 mins at a brisk pace).
My route was via Coolquay to Kilshane cross.
Turn left towards the airport and ride in via Ballymun.
The Coolquay road (R135) is very quiet but the surface is a bit rough.
The road along the back of the airport (R108) is also oddly quiet.
Expect some headwind on the way home.

Was that your commute? It's some distance. We're you not exhausted?

Only did it twice or three times a week. I badly needed the mileage at the time. It was almost as quick as driving in.

bilbot79

Interesting. I'm moving 30k out of town and am wondering if it would be ever be feasible to cycle. I'd say 5 days a week would be too much