(Dublin City and Fingal)

Dublin City Council has seemingly overspent it’s active travel budget, and now has to cut back. Over the past few weeks, I have been noticing some places where the money has not been spent very wisely, and where perhaps the money has been wasted. All of these instances are not consistent with the Design Manual for Urban Streets; The National Transport Authority’s Cycle Design Manual or with any kind of common sense!

First up, from Google Maps, some photographs of the junction between Beresford Place and Memorial Road (leading to Talbot Memorial Bridge) in Dublin 1: What is the point of these bicycle traffic lights? They only lead in one direction, from the Customs House onto the triangular Island and then over to the banking buildings.

The junction of the Chapelizod Bypass (Con Colbert Road) and the South Circular Road in Kilmainham has similar bicycle traffic lights that do not appear to be part of any route.

A cycle lane near Blanchardstown, in an Industrial area, where all the cycle lanes can get you to turn left at the roundabouts, but no option to go straight on, or right! Nearby similar roads all have the same cycle lanes leading to nowhere, allowing only left turns at roundabouts, and abruptly stopping just to let cars into petrol stations. Some discussion of this on Twitter at this link: https://x.com/oisinohalmhain/status/1768596039072714937?s=61

Then there are examples of the following, throughout the city and county when bicycle traffic lights on the exact same sequence as the bigger, more visible general traffic lights.

Along the Grand Canal on various junctions, some bicycle lights have beed added, but it is not clear to cyclists on the cycle track on the road what is supposed to happen! For example, at Harberton Bridge, Rialto, do cyclists on the road go through when the light here is green, or when the general traffic light is green, or at both times? The same situation can be seen at the junction on Sally’s Bridge.

Where would you start about the junction of Eden Quay and Butt Bridge – here cyclists are expected to press a beg button, which cannot be reached from the stop line, and a concrete island has been provided to protect cyclists turning left from cyclists going straight on:

At Harberton Bridge on the Grand Canal some work was completed (or was it) on the junction last year. It is completely unclear what you are supposed to do as a cyclist and whether you are expected to mount the footpath to proceed straight along Dolphin Road with the green signal.

I will update these photos when I get a chance.

I will continue to add examples here as I find them, and will update those that have been corrected. Please feel free to add examples in the comments below, and I will incorporate them and credit you as you see fit.