16/06/2016

Archived item. This item is published here for historical reasons. The information below may be out of date.

The Mayor of South Dublin County, Cllr. Sarah Holland officially opened the new section of cycleway in Tallaght on Wednesday 15th June 2016 in the presence of fellow councillors, staff from South Dublin County Council, the NTA, Clifton Emerson Associates Consulting Engineers, SIAC Construction and a group of 5th Class pupils and their Principal who cycled and walked down from St. Dominic’s National School, Tallaght.

The Tallaght to M50 (Templeogue) Green Route is a transport scheme to provide improved pedestrian, cyclist and bus infrastructure along Main Road, Tallaght.  The scheme provides for the following facilities:

1. 3.6km of new footpaths
2. 1.9km of raised cycle track
3. 1.2km of on-road cycle lanes
4. 70 new public lighting units using high efficiency LED lamps that are CCTV compatible
5. New Traffic signals at Castletymon Road junction with the Old Main Road
6. New signalised pedestrian/cyclist crossings at Newtown Park, Glenview Park west and east
7. Improvements to existing bus stops along the route

In summary, the main objective of the scheme is to narrow the existing “roadway” and redistribute this space to other road users i.e. cyclists and pedestrians in keeping with NTA design principles.

This link is one of a number of new cycle way projects completed by South Dublin County Council, funded by the National Transport Authority, which aim to provide links alternative to the traditional road /on road cycle way to and from local facilities for residential communities. 

South Dublin County Council secured funding from the National Transport Authority under the Sustainable Transport Measures Grants programme for this new route. Clifton Scannel Emerson Associates acted as consulting engineers for the project and SIAC Construction Limited constructed the route over the past few months.

This new cycleway has potential for connecting communities, providing access to amenities and local facilities as well as to provide for commuter cycling to other parts of the County.

Speaking at the launch, Mayor Holland said “It is appropriate that this route was officially opened during Bike Week 2016, an annual event which runs this year from the 12th to 19th June. Bike week gives us the chance to actively promote our cycling infrastructure and to encourage and acknowledge participation in cycling activities. Cycling is free, fun, and good for health and fitness and is suitable for all ages and for families. Thanks to the efforts of staff from a number of departments throughout the Council there are a number of activities and events on offer throughout the week all across the County”.

A significant focus during the week is always on schools and it was fantastic to have the children from St. Dominic’s National School. There is a programme of schools events scheduled to take place all around the County during Bike Week to encourage more children cycle to school, with several hundred children participating in training.

Bike Week enables us to showcase the many cycle tracks both on and off road which have been provided for the citizens of South Dublin County.

Images

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  Mayor Holland with pupils from St. Dominic's National School