Greenways [greenway map of Ireland in post 1]

Likely going to be waiting for some time but interestingly enough the Council is purchasing the property at the southern end of the tunnel (https://www.independent.ie/county/cork/cork-county-council-buying-two-houses-on-kinsale-greenway-route-for-more-than-listed-value-of-1m/a/150643505.html) so the land acquisition is underway albeit slowly.

Ya I saw that earlier. Must have cost an awful lot of money. I wonder what the feedback has been locally on this? As you said land acquisition slowly and quietly maybe.

I was thinking about it during the week, and thinking about the small section that got done near Passage with little fanfare.

Would it make more sense if they approached the Kinsale greenway like so:

Do the city end first, connect Tramore Valley Park to Waterfall Village over the viaduct. This part of the city is growing a lot, a big young local population to support the greenway, the viaduct would be a tourist attraction.

The connect Kinsale to Belgooley second.

When people in between in Riverstick, Crossbarry, Ballinhassig saw the success of both parts they would be more amenable to extending the greenway into these areas. Rather than a bombastic greenway from day 1, do chunks first and open them up, might be more palatable for the locals

That tunnel would be a great feature to have on the Greenway, along with the viaduct. Securing the southern end of the tunnel is great and I see there is a link down to the L2231 so cycle lanes along the road could connect it to Ballinhassig and/or Halfway. That could be the gateway to Greenways to Kinsale and West Cork.

The northern end it would be about 4.5km to Waterfall. They need to focus on the section between Cork city and the tunnel for now. The southern section will likely be a slow burner. Could going along the R607 be an option?

Fine Gael councillor in Galway (Ballinasloe area) Alan Harney with an update on the Dublin-Galway greenway west (well technically south) of Athlone.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZ5yywcOm4O/?igsh=MXdibTE3bXpiOWVmMQ==

I'm from the area so know the R607 well (I travel it every day). The R607 from it's junction with the N71 has houses on both sides so would involve them loosing some ground. Yes there's the margin they could take from. The R607 get narrow and twisty down by Ballintober so it couldn't follow it there. Also, from N71 to Rising Sun is shocking busy traffic wise with the Lilly traffic from Dunderrow. That was on one of the proposed routes in stage 1 but was dismissed.

What's more feasible is to follow the old railway line from the Killeady Junction to Rising Sun. Yea some of the line is now farmland but the underpass under the N71 is still there (used by a local farmer to get cattle across the road). The old loading platform before the Rising Sun is still there. From there, the line is gone into farmland or has stuff built on it (a reservoir for example). The beauty of going to the Rising Sun is then head over via Arlinstown along the road to Riverstick. It's a road I regularly cycle.

I was cycling on the corridor of the East Cork one a lot before it was built. I wasn't against it but I genuinely thought I'd never use it, thought it'd be a bit of a tourism novelty. There's stretches that never had a soul walking.

And now it's busy pretty much all day and night. It's actually changed how I commute, I'm on it nearly 10 times a week myself.

All that to say I agree with you: approach the Kinsale one from Carrigaline side also and get the Viaduct one done as far as Waterfall or Ballinhassig. To the point where local people see that it is a net negative and a major community asset. After a few years of operation, you'd find a lot of the more foolish opposition melt away, leaving only the real opposition (farm splitting, access issues, genuine security issues etc). You can guarantee it's a tiny minority that are truly affected