Greenways [greenway map of Ireland in post 1]

Strand Road Appeals Judgement due 11th April 2025

https://irishcycle.com/2025/02/12/long-awaited-strand-road-cycle-path-judgment-due-in-april-2025/

Judges rule based on the information presented to them. So, in this case, there will obviously be some additional information that was not brought to the attention of the earlier judge. Had the previous judge seen that information, then naturally, he would have come to more or less the same decision as the new judge will…

Remember when we used to build Greenways?

Pepperridge farm remembers

In addition a lot of projects are happening but at a more local level (there's probably plenty of missing routes on the map, especially town networks).

Work on almost the full potential length of the South Kerry Greenway is ongoing, that's going to be huge when it opens (and hopefully there will be a serious clamour for a safe high quality route from Killarney to Glenbeigh to make it an even bigger tourist draw)

After that the next 'big' greenway is probably going to be the grand canal. It's awaiting three sections to be completed for the full length of the mainline from GCD to the Shannon (Portobello to Suir Road, Grange Castle to Hazelhatch, Sallins to Edenderry) once those are complete you can traffic free cycle from Dublin to the Shannon, Athy, and with the Planned bog railway networks potentially as far as Clonmacnoise (Linking to the "easy" to build sections of the Galway to Athlone greenway).

But yes many of the other 'big' projects are facing pushback, and the small schemes are vital but are never going to recieve much fanfare.

Once the mainline Grand canal is done the lack of progress on the Barrow navigation from Athy down to St Mullins is going to really stick out, it would be an attractive, off road link from the SE, possibly we could have greenway all the way for Rosslare port up into the Midlands and Dublin.

The Cork Co Co website changed and everything was lost unfortunately. "Ballinacurra to Midleton" was the overall, and some images are below.

https://www.dbfl.ie/project/ballinacurra-to-midleton-pedestrian-and-cycle-route/#:~:text=This%20pedestrian%20and%20cycle%20route,and%20the%20Midleton%20Train%20station.

It's all underway right now, but some sections (as I drew above) are complete.

The section to the very South is only a few weeks from completion by the looks of it. The Northern section including train underpass are underway but are a good bit away from being finished. Months at minimum.

There's also a park planned to the very north as well which will link to the North West, directly into Waterrock.

https://www.corkcoco.ie/sites/default/files/2023-07/water_rock_linear_park_drawing_pack.pdf

What's been completed in Waterrock is extremely low quality. It involves 10 or so cyclist yield signs per km and beg buttons for the traffic lights. You can see these from google maps now, and I was able to count the stupid "yields". The sections in the drawing above are of much higher quality, proper greenway.

Thanks! Should all be updated now, let me know if I'm missing anything.

And there's also the Carrigaline TPREP greenways, I think you have some of these but not others, basically there's an overall plan for Carrigaline that's being implemented piecemeal and will theoretically have the black lines from the below: some of these are one-per-side but the main spine is the greenway which arrives from the North (as you have drawn) and then both connects to the Crosshaven greenway and also goes directly West towards the other side of town, like an upside-down T

Royal Canal Greenway is done now from lock 13 to Confey station.

Thankfully the weight of bikes also means that a well maintained surface will last a lot longer than a road surface will

I've gone from not wanting greenways to using them heavily even for slower winter training spins now, the rolling resistance is as good or better than dual carriageways. It's a small thing, but it makes a bigger difference than I expected

Those with narrow racing type tyres aren't the target audience, confident road cyclists are going, to use the road no matter what the facilities are.

Hell some of them are actively opposed to cycling infrastructure (either they see it as pointless, or antagonising drivers (themselves included))

A safe cycling route with minimal interaction with drivers is for anyone who wouldn't have been confident on a road bike, and definitely not confident taking primary on a road for any stretch of time.