Cycling the grand canal

a148pro · 18-01-2019 12:28am

blueballfc wrote: »

more news from grand canal in Offaly
completion of linkage of the Grand Canal Greenway to the Royal Canal Greenway
and sion from Poolagh to the Lough Boora Discovery Park see link
https://www.offalyexpress.ie/news/home/356637/offaly-s-grand-canal-greenway-gets-huge-400-000-funding-boost.html

Thanks but no map of the route? Is this the route mentioned in book on Ireland's best cycle routes I wonder, combines canals and greenways in mostly off road loop

ED E · 18-01-2019 12:31am

a148pro wrote: »

Thanks but no map of the route? Is this the route mentioned in book on Ireland's best cycle routes I wonder, combines canals and greenways in mostly off road loop

The Part 8 Report might interest you
https://www.offaly.ie/eng/Services/Planning/News/Grand-Canal-Greenway-Planning-Report-280318-pdf.pdf

a148pro · 18-01-2019 12:48am

Still doesn't show the link though?

Interesting to see such a thorough report

Page 6 though, image 4 - before and after - who here picks before? I do every time

ED E · 18-01-2019 1:21am

Ahh there's always a compromise.

Greenway Map of Ireland
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1HAHB3jpXV7qgrTHgopH4Zl7-ItDHGEPv&ll=53.4320326010536%2C-8.939188105408448&z=7

That was made by a boards user and shows a link route as potential. Thats over the county lines though so funding to Offaly wouldnt do that. Having the link closer to Dublin would be handy for us dubs to loop with but any connection is a win.

EDIT: its on the bloody map, I'm blind
https://static.rasset.ie/documents/news/2018/11/outdoor-recreation-infrastructure-scheme-2018.pdf

SPDUB · 19-01-2019 12:54pm

niallo32 wrote: »

Nice to commute along the canal with the kissing gates open - scramblers racing along the tow path from across Labre park up to the bridge at Kylemore this evening though

Is that with the new configuration of the gates or did they just have the gates open .

They still haven't done anything at the 4th Lock for the new configuration but I have noticed on occasion in the past for it to be opened when WI wanted to drive along the canal

niallo32 · 19-01-2019 3:39pm

SPDUB wrote: »

Is that with the new configuration of the gates or did they just have the gates open .

They still haven't done anything at the 4th Lock for the new configuration but I have noticed on occasion in the past for it to be opened when WI wanted to drive along the canal

I'd say its with the gates being open - they're open down as far as the 4th lock (is that where SDCC's boundary ends and DCC begins?)

site_owner · 19-01-2019 4:27pm

Kissing gates dont stop scramblers anyway.

Juat cargo bikes, bikes with trailers, tandems, handcycles, recumbent bikes, mobility scooters, electric wheelchairs....

SPDUB · 19-01-2019 4:27pm

niallo32 wrote: »

I'd say its with the gates being open - they're open down as far as the 4th lock (is that where SDCC's boundary ends and DCC begins?)

Given that there is at least one building beside the canal path under the control of DCC nearer to the Kylemore rd I said legally the boundary is at Kylemore rd but in practical terms the 4th lock is the first place it matters

ED E · 19-01-2019 5:20pm

Its Waterways Ireland land, not under the local authorities as far as I know. So the council boundary doesnt matter for the gates.

It does matter for the future works as they will consume small portions of land not currently part of the towpath.

TychoCaine · 19-01-2019 10:56pm

site_owner wrote: »

Kissing gates dont stop scramblers anyway.

Juat cargo bikes, bikes with trailers, tandems, handcycles, recumbent bikes, mobility scooters, electric wheelchairs....

Recumbent bikes? That's a good thing!

site_owner · 20-01-2019 10:47pm

Never mind the scramblers!

Check out @DubFireBrigade’;s Tweet: https://twitter.com/DubFireBrigade/status/1087088674247008258?s=09

mloc123 · 31-01-2019 12:12pm

Anyone know what the current state of the roadworks are at the Adamstown (Sarsfield GAA) section? Is that completed now or still ongoing?

coward · 31-01-2019 1:00pm

mloc123 wrote: »

Anyone know what the current state of the roadworks are at the Adamstown (Sarsfield GAA) section? Is that completed now or still ongoing?

Still ongoing. Barriers still up to direct you onto the metal bridge when heading towards Sarsfield GAA. The road still needs it's final layer but must be getting close!

Side note.. they cut the hedge along the greenway between the metal bridge and the outer ring road. Left it in an awful state. Bits of hacked and shredded hedge bits all across the greenway. Avoiding it until the next heavy wind / rain as I don't want to be dealing with a puncture in this cold weather.

coward · 11-02-2019 11:19pm

It was sad to watch the rapid deterioration of the access road to the Grand Canal from the R120 Newcastle Road near Lucan over the past three weeks.

The people moved out at the weekend and this is a view from today of what they left behind. Sadly that isn't a hedge along the right-hand side. There is a cycle path / footpath under there somewhere. They must have been offering a rubbish collection service. They move out. Council clean it up. They are back in a few months. Rinse and repeat. So depressing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rKuz0iPJX4

Onto happier things. View of the upgraded works on the bridge near the 12th Lock. Access to the Grand Canal heading towards the city is still closed off. Nice wide paths for walking and cycling on either side. They go all the way down to the new junction before Polly Hops and continue on around Grange Castle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ar35DIJl9g

tnegun · 11-02-2019 11:28pm

Saw that rubbish today it’s a mix of garden, household and construction waste. If settled people didn’t engage them the problem would fix itself. They had at least one tipper truck and were drawing loads back and dumping around the lane. I was off for two weeks and they really upped their game in that time. I saw the council clearing some up 3 weeks ago while they were still there and the truck packed meters away obvious it was the source. What’s worse is there is permanent CCTV here so either not working or not monitored. This happens every 6 -12 months here along with the usual fly tipping every few weeks but this is by far the worse I’ve seen it.

silverharp · 15-02-2019 3:35pm

Was heading back from Park West yesterday just after 5 and an irate cyclist warned me about kids teenagers throwing stones, I asked a second cyclist and he thought I should go the road but he said there were other people there too. They were ahead of me on bikes but they had obviously got bored, I just slowed down and hit the road for the last section at the luas . Eyes open from now on I guess.

mloc123 · 15-02-2019 4:47pm

The section to Hazelhatch is pretty bad now..

a148pro · 16-02-2019 9:39am

mloc123 wrote: »

The section to Hazelhatch is pretty bad now..

Jesus, I like my greenways unpaved but that's ridiculous

There's obviously been some vehicle traffic down it? I cycled it in late summer early autumn and it wasn't bad at all, think the only real mud was under trees on the run in to sallins

mloc123 · 18-02-2019 11:44am

a148pro wrote: »

Jesus, I like my greenways unpaved but that's ridiculous

There's obviously been some vehicle traffic down it? I cycled it in late summer early autumn and it wasn't bad at all, think the only real mud was under trees on the run in to sallins

The canal bank had been repaired or re-aligned at a couple of sections, so I guess there was a lot of construction traffic doing that. They had planning notices up along the section now for the resurfacing.

coward · 21-02-2019 9:39am

tnegun wrote: »

This happens every 6 -12 months

They are all back again this morning. What was that.. 11 days? Barely enough time for the council to have cleaned up. Going to be sad to have to watch this unfold again over the coming weeks. We need a McNulty in the force - someone to stick a tracker on that truck and discover who their customers are.

Also the newly slightly open gate near the Killeen road has been closed. That didn't last long either. Involved switching the plug in the ground around so not something that was closed by mistake.

It's difficult to love this greenway at times.

tnegun · 21-02-2019 12:16pm

I know I saw it this am and couldn't believe it. They installed 2 plugs at most gates so may of been a mistake closing it but there had been an increase in speed and frequency of scramblers on the tow path so could of been a reaction to that

coward · 15-03-2019 7:14pm

R120 construction works finished at the Lucan end. Towpath open again to the R120 (near Sarsfields GAA). No need to detour over the metal bridge.

mloc123 · 15-03-2019 8:18pm

I ran along the route last week, the final section between Clondalkin and Grange Castle was... interesting. Cold weather doesn't keep them inside... just light a fire on the canal bank instead.

coward · 15-03-2019 8:30pm

Yeah. That old abandoned building on the other side of the canal has attracted a lot of attention this week. A fire up against it one evening and a new place for people to hang out beside since. Wonder why it has become popular all of a sudden. Moved on from somewhere else?

tnegun · 15-03-2019 9:32pm

Great news that they've finished the works, I came off on the red bridge in the frost a couple of weeks back and have seen a few people fall on it so I won't miss it. I think its an old lock keepers house, it has always been popular with them and a lot of drug activity goes on around it. A few of them were displaced after the guy had his throat slashed beside the 9th lock last year and they moved to the vicinity of the house.

tnegun · 26-03-2019 8:51pm

Called the Guards yesterday re the kids racing scramblers at the 11th lock for the past few weeks, Guard said we'll send a car out but are powerless to stop them as they're not allowed give chase and I should contact the council to block the access points :mad::mad:

coward · 26-03-2019 9:50pm

I've cycled that path daily for years and never noticed any issues around 11th lock. It's only the past few weeks that it has turned ugly for me. The path is absolutely filthy. So much broken glass. Rubbish strewn about. Marks of leftover fires. Always a bunch of people hanging about on the path that you have to make your way through. A bit intimidating to say the least.

Are the recently opened gates contributing to the behaviour in this area? I don't believe so myself as I see the motorbikes enter and leave the path through gaps in the hedge nearby.

You don't necessary need the guards to give chase. Just the odd patrol on foot / bicycle or motorbike along the path would be nice. I've never seen a guard on the grand canal path - though I know others have said here that they have.

We are not even near the summer term when you notice an immediate pick-up in anti social behaviour once school is out. What's it going to be like then!

tnegun · 26-03-2019 11:27pm

Same its escalated something terrible the past few weeks the guard just said to keep calling it in and he'd log it and send a car. Also said to forward any footage from bike/helmet cams to help them ID the guys. The fires were mostly bags of household rubbish they were bringing with them a couple of attempts to set fire to the lock gates too

delta_bravo · 27-03-2019 1:09pm

Not sure if this has been mentioned but SDCC looking to extend greenway from 12th lock to Hazelhatch to join up with with cycle path Kildare CC have built after McEvoys.

https://consult.sdublincoco.ie/en/consultation/part-8-grand-canal-greenway-hazelhatch-12th-lock

Mixed feelings on it as I did enjoy the quietness and lovely rural settings that hit as soon as you went over the 12th lock but I only visited it in summer so this will make it more accessible to cyclists and walkers. I just hope it doesn't have any issues with antisocial behaviour or dumping as this stretch is much more isolated than the previous few km.

tnegun · 27-03-2019 2:30pm

Is it possible to cycle from the 12th to Hazelhatch at present? I know someone posted a pic a month or so back and it didn't look great.

tnegun · 01-04-2019 7:55pm

Just giving this a bump anyone travel between the 12th and Hazelhatch recently? What were conditions like? Also any ETA for the start of the Greenway works?

mloc123 · 01-04-2019 8:01pm

tnegun wrote: »

Just giving this a bump anyone travel between the 12th and Hazelhatch recently? What were conditions like? Also any ETA for the start of the Greenway works?

I posted that pic back in Feb, it was still the same 3 weeks ago (have not been on it since)

coward · 08-04-2019 6:39pm

There is quite a large line of caravans currently moving onto the greenway track in the field between Haydens lane and the metal bridge on the grand canal in Lucan. They are getting through a gap in the hedge somewhere..

They are parking on both greenway paths - so you have to take to the field to access the canal.

I'd advise not taking the metal bridge from now on - stick to the canal and go all the way to or from the Newcastle road.

:mad:

mloc123 · 08-04-2019 7:22pm

coward wrote: »

There is quite a large line of caravans currently moving onto the greenway track in the field between Haydens lane and the metal bridge on the grand canal in Lucan. They are getting through a gap in the hedge somewhere..

They are parking on both greenway paths - so you have to take to the field to access the canal.

I'd advise not taking the metal bridge from now on - stick to the canal and go all the way to or from the Newcastle road.

:mad:

They are parked in the field... or on the canal bank?

tnegun · 08-04-2019 7:29pm

Saw them arriving and hoped they' keep going as the paths are blocked now

fly tipping in the area again last night too no coincidence.

tnegun · 08-04-2019 7:31pm

Rang Lucan Gardai and they're aware of it so call them too 01-6667300 the more people that do the better.

coward · 08-04-2019 7:46pm

mloc123 wrote: »

They are parked in the field... or on the canal bank?

In the field.. not near the canal. Hard to describe! You know that field you cross to get to the metal bridge.

tnegun wrote: »

Rang Lucan Gardai and they're aware of it so call them too 01-6667300 the more people that do the better.

Thanks tnegun. I called too. They said as it is council property, there is nothing they can do without the council's help. That field will be destroyed.

Maybe they might rearrange themselves so they are not blocking the path later. It was mostly the vans and cars blocking both tracks. Not a chance I'll be going this route again until they are moved off.

tnegun · 08-04-2019 7:49pm

There is a gate further down that was used when the greenway was constructed. I bet thats how they got in council will do f all

This is the field the gate is directly opposite Fossets circus

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Haydens+Ln,+Co.+Dublin/@53.3322482,-6.4502835,519m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x486773afb601270b:0x7c017422c957eac7!8m2!3d53.3377826!4d-6.4482882

mloc123 · 08-04-2019 7:53pm

What was left behind the last time

tnegun · 08-04-2019 8:00pm

Its disgusting, bad enough the Gardai can't do anything about the scramblers now these cretins too

Rechuchote · 09-04-2019 7:41am

Is there a Travellers mediation body of any sort, where this kind of thing can be sorted out?

mloc123 · 09-04-2019 8:36am

tnegun wrote: »

I bet thats how they got in council will do f all

Council are usually quite good, at least in North Kildare but it takes time. Notice will need to be served, then there is a set period before it can be enforced etc.. at which point the guards will usually get involved to make sure that happens without issue.

Hurrache · 09-04-2019 8:53am

Harass your council and councillors. Don't know about SDCC, but Fingal have been receptive in the past. You need to concentrate on the mess that is appearing which the tax payer via Fingal will have to pay out to clear it up the longer it's left, as well as the damage to council property and anti social behaviour.

tnegun · 09-04-2019 9:27am

Called SDCC and they just put me through to the house dept. said they didn't know who should deal with it!

Hurrache · 09-04-2019 9:30am

That's ridiculous, I suspect more so a reflection of person answering the phone. The litter warden would even be a better start.

tnegun · 09-04-2019 9:34am

Anyone know what dept I should request?

mloc123 · 09-04-2019 11:14am

tnegun wrote: »

Anyone know what dept I should request?

Email your local TD

It is parish pump stuff, but if you want something done...

Rechuchote · 09-04-2019 2:57pm

Maybe call Traffic Watch too? 1890 20 58 05‬ or (094) 905 1131‬ or *(094) 904 9400

coward · 10-04-2019 8:33am

They were there in even greater numbers yesterday evening but gone this morning! I didn't take that path so I don't know what state they left it in.

I'm surprised they moved on so quickly. Great news. Hopefully the access point gets closed off.

tnegun · 10-04-2019 8:36am

All gone bar one this morning left their rubbish and a few bits around gate is still wide open so they left of their own accord by the looks of it.

Cycling the grand canal

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