Cycle lanes not included in revamp

A submission by Dundalk Cycling Alliance to have cycle lanes included in the revamp of Clanbrassil Street and St Nicholas Quarter has been rejected by the architects drawing up the plans for the scheme,

Councillors heard that opposition to the idea of allowing cyclists to use the footpaths had been voiced by groups representing older people and those with disabilities.

Mr Gareth Maguire of consultants BDP Ireland told the Municipal District of Dundalk meeting last week that the Dundalk Cycling Alliance had raised the issue that Dundalk was ideally suited for developing a network of cycle lanes as it is a flat town.

They had called for cycle lanes to be included on the footpaths and for Clanbrasil Street to included in part of a wider cycling strategy.

He said both the Dundalk Older People’s Forum and the Disability Allowance had said that they didn’t want cycle lanes near footpaths. They had raised questions about the existing crossing at the Market Square as it causes confusion.

He said that the plan being put forward would see cyclists using the same carriageway as cars. There would be no separate red strip on the road surface for cyclists.

Green Party councillor Mark Dearey said that mixing cars and bikes was discouraging to cyclists.

He believed that a properly functioning town in 10 or 20 years will not be about cars and they should be working towards this,

Sinn Fein councillor Anne Campbell asked if there was a finished design and if cycle lanes were included in this.

‘ There are no cycle lanes,’ Mr Maguire stated. ‘Cyclists will share the traffic lane,’ he said, adding that it would be ‘ a shared environment’ in which traffic will be slowed down.

There were, he continued, very strong views regarding having cycle lanes on footpaths with very negatives comments about the idea from those representing the elderly and the disabled..