Grand Canal Cycle Path - Be Careful

irlirishkev wrote: »

I've been going home that way again since the weather got dark and crappy.. It's been quite peaceful, and a lot less stressful than the Naas Road!

Other option was to come off at the 9th lock up by Ronanstown Garda station, but that road looks quite narrow.

I’ve just passed through again and the lads who were working seemed to have packed up and left. Couple of lads over there waiting to score and a lad on a scrambler but has it parked up. They seemed pleasant. Said hello.

When I passed around 1 today, one of the dealers was sitting in a leather seat taken from a car and had a little fire going to keep himself warm.

tnegun wrote: »

Stopped to chat with the guys working there this morning and they're waiting for an order of replacement polls to be delivered, there is a huge amount of work as all the cabling has to be replaced and the ducts are blocked with debris. They're installing polls they had in the yard and hope to have some lights back by Christmas. They also mentioned that they're on site from 6.30am so they can finish before the worst comes out on the canal.

Fair play. I cycled past while you (presumably you!) were chatting with them. Wondered if it was someone from Boards!

dhaughton99 wrote: »

When I passed around 1 today, one of the dealers was sitting in a leather seat taken from a car and had a little fire going to keep himself warm.

Had to laugh during one of the wettest days he was sitting there with a parasol!! Unfupping touchable!

LeChienMefiant wrote: »

https://echo.ie/lucan/article/gardai-up-security-on-the-canal-to-curb-drug-dealing

Excellent news.
Blatant dealing going on in places.

Lights are back on as well just after Grange Castle inbound.
I also met some plain clothes in an unmarked car driving up slowly with their headlights off the other day. Had a brief chat.

ORGANISED crime along the Grand Canal, primarily Clondalkin to Lucan, and Park West, is being targeted by a major multi-agency operation.

Gardai in Clondalkin and Lucan are both currently involved in the operation to tackle criminal activity along the length of the canal.

Key targets are drug-dealing, vandalism of public lighting to aid drug-dealing, and intimidation of innocent residents using the amenity.

Videos have done the rounds on social media of cyclists having fireworks fired at them along the canal, while a number of cyclists have had their bikes taken off them by gangs of thugs.

The Echo understands the operation started in the last couple of months, and has resulted in a number of arrests.

Gardai have stepped up patrols in the area, including a dog unit last weekend, and hope to have garda push-bikes on the canal by Christmas.

It is deemed by senior gardai to be a long-term operation, tasked with cleaning up the canal area from serious anti-social activity.

The Grand Canal Greenway is a joint project between Waterways Ireland, South Dublin County Council, ESB, Dublin City Council and the National Transport Authority.

According to the council, parts of the infrastructure, particularly lighting and CCTV, have been subject to “serious vandalism and are currently out of commission”.

“Arrangements are being made to bring this infrastructure back into operation – due to ongoing serious anti-social behaviour, these works are not without difficulty,” said the council.

At a Policing Meeting in Clondalkin on Tuesday night, the council said new “anti-vandal” camera parts have been sourced.

The Echo understands the parts won’t arrive from the UK until the end of the year, but will be installed in 2020.

Meanwhile, cabling for CCTV cameras along the canal is currently being installed underground, to prevent it from being vandalised.

Clondalkin Superintendent Seamus Dalton said it is an “ongoing” operation and involves “police on the ground”.

Supt Dalton told The Echo that some cameras had been vandalised deliberately and the recent installation of new cabling is an important aspect to the investigation.

Speaking at a Policing Meeting on Lucan/North Clondalkin over a month ago, Lucan Superintendent Paul Dolan said the difficulty was in resourcing, but it was “going well” and they “didn’t want to lose ground.”

A spokesperson for the council said: “The route links the city to the west of the county and with the installation of the ‘red bridge’ provides a cycling/pedestrian route to Lucan. The primary responsibility for the physical maintenance of the route in South Dublin County rests with the council.

“Despite increased specification there remains the potential that the new works may be the subject of further damage in the future.

Liaison continues with the gardai in this regard. In conjunction with the gardai, the council will make every effort to maintain the CCTV and lighting in operable condition to ensure that the Greenway remains a safe route to serve the public.”

The dealers must have read the article.

You could be guaranteed 10-12 hanging around the old lock-keepers house on the right at 1 o’clock for the past 2 months. Hail, rain or shine. Same old faces, same bikes.

Not a sinner around today.

Delighted to hear all this! Have been away with work for the last week or so but its back to the canal from Monday!

dhaughton99 wrote: »

This is what they installed at the ninth.

How long will this last with the scum? 2/3 days ?

Glad to hear you are ok! Sorry about your bike - Shocking this stuff happens in this city.

Until they remove those kissing gates and deal with anti social behaviour, I will not be using this cycle path.

It could be a fabulous facility!

Guy in work met the same gang at Bluebell and was lucky to escape with his bike and a bloody noise

Mickiemcfist wrote: »

You'd wonder how would the Gards take it if an adult was to give them a good kicking if they tried that.

Unfortunately they would be obliged to investigate the adult who did that. It's not easy at all being a Garda these days. But I think that in this case they have use the difficulty of dealing with underage criminals as an excuse to do nothing at the Grand Canal. And now the problem appears to have got out of control.

Coincidentally, I cycled the grand canal cycle path from end to end yesterday, with no issues. I did, though, see some youths on the far side of the canal hanging around on mountain bikes. They may or may not have been up to no good.

We all know at this stage that security is a serious issue on this path but I for one would still encourage people to use it as abandoning it to the anti-social elements will only make the problem worse.

For what its worth the Clondalkin end has been fine since the ASB spiked just after Halloween, the lights have been repaired, new CCTV installed and additional Garda patrols after representations we're made by several community groups and local Councillors