Costello welcomes decision on Liffey Cycle Route

3 April 2019

by Cllr Joe Costello

Labour local election candidate for Dublin's North Inner City, and spokesperson on Regeneration Joe Costello has welcomed the long awaited decision on the Liffey Cycle route.

Mr Costello said:

“The announcement today by the National Transport Authority (NTA) that the long-awaited Liffey Cycle Route had been finally selected is welcome news.

“It will be wonderful to have a safe, segregated cycleway all the way along the Liffey from the Phoenix Park to the Point Depot.

"It is, however, a shame that it has taken so long, that the City Council’s Transportation Department refused to engage with the local community and that the cycleway will now cost over €20 million.

"The NTA had pulled the plug nearly two years ago after the City Council had spent five years planning, coming up with eight unworkable options and spent €360,000.

"One of the madcap ideas was a route option that would divert buses through an apartment block that had planning permission from the City Council and which was already under construction! Another proposal was to redirect all traffic coming into town along the North Quays up Blackhall Place, into the already congested residential streets of Stoneybatter and Smithfield and after an extra journey of one and a half kilometres to bring the traffic back down to the North Quays at Church Street!

"After the five- year debacle let us hope that there is money available to build the proposed Liffey Cycleway and that the citizens of Dublin, at last have a segregated cycleway which will take them safely across the City from the Phoenix Park to the Irish Sea."