Dublin City and Greater area – Danger points

whysomanyhills wrote: »

Hi All,

I’m not sure if this has been done before on this forum but from your own personal experience what is the most dangerous stretch of road you must negotiate on your commute/general cycle in and around the greater Dublin area.

For reference I’ve been cycling in and around Dublin city and the greater area since the 90’s. I’ve lived and cycled on both sides of the city.

The reason I’m asking is I’m comfortable and feel safe to a general degree on pretty much every road in Dublin I use (provided your switched on) but the only place I have a genuine fear is Victoria Quay outside the Guinness Brewery when trying to negotiate the 4 lanes to get to the Phoneix Park/Chapelizod due to intermittent aggressive driver behavior.

For the record a large majority of drivers on this stretch or road are patient and understanding but I’ve had a number of close passes/tailgating incidents generally from “professional drivers” (not Dublin Bus btw).

If there is enough feedback it may be useful to the various cycle advocacy groups in operation for statistical purposes in terms of danger points from cyclists of all levels.

Thanks

If you start that navigation on the left hand side of the road and attempt to switch to the right hand side in full traffic, it's done at your own peril.

I rarely switch. Only when traffic is low/clear, otherwise I stick to the left until traffic lights or start on the right and stay there till the end

Trying to make a right turn from Mount St Lwr to go along the canal is regularly the most terrifying part of my cycle.

Be very careful anywhere from Rathgar, Rathmines, Camden St, Aungier St, really dangerous point now is George's St as they are doing building works so have taken over a full lane and the set up is a mess.


Just be careful anywhere to be honest as city is in bits with pot holes too.

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

The section of the R132 southbound between Blake's cross and Turvey Avenue (north Co Dublin) is probably the most dangerous piece of road I use regularly. It's only a few hundred meters but about 15 years ago the hard shoulder was converted into an second lane to make exiting from R127 (Lusk) easier for motorists. I never feel comfortable on it even when I 'take' the left lane. The surface is also poor with numerous ruts and holes and a few shore covers.

To add to the danger, due to it's direction, it's even worse mid morning in winter with a low sun on a wet road as drivers are blinded going over the crest before the dip to Turvey Avenue.

Its mostly uphill that direction as well, which slows you down and makes you feel like more of a sitting duck with cars coming up fast behind you.

Mickiemcfist wrote: »

Anyone know if there's a way to report cycle lane issues to the council on road conditions? That section between RTE & UCD is ridiculous. Would think now is the time as councils look to empty the coffers.

I’m really surprised that the UCD SU and UCD itself don’t push the council to fix the main access points. It’d help them with their parking issues.

I use this daily and always keep to the bus lane. Drives me crazy to see cyclists use it. Gives us a bad name !!

I found the N2 between Phibsboro and Finglas was pretty hairy back when I used it. Left hooks and buses pushing you off the road.

Its a short stretch, but the Canal to Harts corner can be a bit tricky if you take the lane and are turning right.

Church st/Constitution hill is a nightmare with either close passing or so much congestion its impossible to filter. I just avoid it now.

It's calmed down a bit now thanks to the changes, but Westmoreland st > O'Connell st is still hectic.

Ranelagh is generally OK, but this year has seen widespread parking in the Northbound cycling lane with no enforcement which makes it difficult to get through now.

The bend in the road outside the cash and carry on Richmond Road is awful for the auld close pass. The road and 'footpath' are not well defined and motorists will tend to cut across the space you are occupying to take a short cut across the footpath. Hair-raising!

I always avoid Richmond Road and take Clonliffe instead. Much of it is too narrow for two-way traffic for cars so they generally leave zero room for bikes. About time they made it one-way with a contraflow bike lane.

When I used to regularly commute, Tara Street was my pet hate followed by trying to safely cross the Luas lines at the Abbey St / Beresford Place junction. Now, turning right up Parnell Square by the Rotunda while avoiding the tracks is even trickier.

helimachoptor wrote: »

Have had a few incidents there aswell.

For me, going southbound at Kielys in Donnybrook.
Two narrow lanes going around the corner, cars in the outside lane want to keep as left as possible, meaning cars in the inside lane basically want to run you up onto the footpath.

If i get the redlight just before it, i normally go through it. Ive had a too many close calls tbh.

That dog-leg is a disaster, there's also two huge metal grates on the ground which I'm also wary of taking too fast in case I slip. I tend to take the full lane now, the bike lane there is a deathtrap.

For me it's heading outbound on the quays and turning right after the Four Courts.
Any right turns off the quays involving crossing a number of lanes in rush hour traffic is testing enough.

Also in the mornings for me, there's an unfortunately timed red light heading Eastbound past Sean O'Casey bridge at the Citibank where I continually find myself in the minority of cyclists that stop.
Have witnessed plenty of near misses because of this.

(I'm aware that cars and pedestrians skip reds also.)

Westmoreland Street ain't for the nervous.

Harold's Cross Bridge. Outbound cycle lane shoehorned into a driving lane where there's no room, long queues of frustrated drivers, and a blind right turn for inbound drivers onto the canal, who can't see traffic coming over the bridge until the last moment.

The junction of New St South/Patrick St/Dean St/Kevin St. Inbound there's manholes in the cycle lane, drivers constantly turning left on a straight ahead arrow onto Dean St across the cycle lane and through a pedestrian light, then there's a sort of a cycle lane (faded purple paint but no white line) marked in the bus lane but it's far too narrow for traffic to pass you if there's traffic in the driving lane, which there always is. Then outbound drivers constantly block the junction, also huge potential for left hooks onto Kevin St. Meanwhile going from Kevin St to Dean St there's a microscopic cycle lane shoehorned in just like the one on Harold's Cross Bridge. From Dean St to Patrick Street there's an orange filter arrow and pedestrian crossing that drivers ignore. All the various bits of pedestrian crossings operate at different times, even crossing the same street. And for some reason the pedestrian crossing on the Kevin St bit is 30m down the road which leads to pedestrians crossing through traffic. Absolute clusterf*ck of a junction!

alentejo wrote: »

Memorial Bridge south bound (North Stand / IFSC) heading towards south quays and O'Connell Bridge. Need to position yourself in the middle of 4 lanes of traffic.

Seconded.

droidus wrote: »

Its a short stretch, but the Canal to Harts corner can be a bit tricky if you take the lane and are turning right.

Church st/Constitution hill is a nightmare with either close passing or so much congestion its impossible to filter. I just avoid it now.

That's on my commute. I find you just have to be really assertive with the lane. Even still, I was nearly taken out of it the other day by a driver who decided she'd use the bus lane to jump the queue for the junction with the green Luas, before nipping back into the right lane. I caught up with her in Phibsborough.

And then coming back inbound again there's far too narrow a cycle lane coming up to the junction with North King St, and when you move out of it to take the lane you have a massive manhole in the middle of the lane that's about 8 inches below the level of the road tarmac.

helimachoptor wrote: »

For me, going southbound at Kielys in Donnybrook.
Two narrow lanes going around the corner, cars in the outside lane want to keep as left as possible, meaning cars in the inside lane basically want to run you up onto the footpath.

I was knocked off my bike here years ago. It hasn't improved since.

AGC wrote: »

I find coming into town and going up the hill after O'Shea's Merchant when the road swings to the left, everyone tries overtaking you and there just is not the space with it being 2 lanes and always traffic in the outside lane.

I was coming up there on a Dublin bike a while back, slowly to be fair, and had a Garda on a motorbike motion me into the gutter. Nothing stopping traffic overtaking me in the right lane. I told him no, he drove on, and I caught up with him at the light at Christchurch 30 seconds later. Again, just really take the lane.

LennoxR wrote: »

East Wall Road, from the roundabout at the east link up to North Strand. Especially if you are trying to take right onto Alfie Byrne Road to get on to the cycle lane north to Howth.

There’s a decent off road cycle path on most of that. I also use that daily.

Gerry wrote: »

N4 eastbound from first flyover to hermitage. Terrible bike lane or road full of pissed off drivers. N4 westbound anywhere near a turnoff trying to not get killed by drivers who can't fathom that you aren't taking the turn. So that would be the ballyfermot turn before chapelizod bypass, m50 turn, fonthill turn, newcastle turn, etc. Actually the whole n4 really

I find the N4 fine... The cycle path is okay, not great but you also have the option of a 24/7 bus lane. The only issue I have is coming out of town, getting over the m50 on the road is way too risky and it is awkward to get across into Palmerstown village to use the separate bridge

Drumcondra Road coming out of town towards the Dodder

There is a bike path on the footpatch all the way as far as Fagans

The bike path merges with the road at a point where
(I) Buses are pulling in to a bus stop
(II) Cars are turning left onto Botanic Road

Very hairy.

You then progress onto the bridge - two narrow car lanes. There is NO room to overtake cyclists but many motorists try to do it anyway.

Arcade_Tryer wrote: »

Too many to mention but Victoria Quay (crossing the lanes toward Phoenix Park) is probably the only part of Dublin that I am terrified to tackle at busy times due to a confluence of events including the speed of other vehicles, the non-existent cycling infrastructure, and the complexity of the manoeuvre itself. Thankfully have very little reason to venture near there.

That is bad but I actually find Cunningham road turning into the park to be worse, when you get across you have to wait in the turn lane while inbound cars come straight towards you and they have to veer to the left just before the turning lane. I hate waiting there to turn if there is not a car behind me also waiting. It would really benefit from a traffic island at that point.