Latest news with #SAMRA
Irish Independent
07-05-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Sandymount residents call for cycle lane to be located off-road
The recent AGM of the Sandymount and Merrion Residents Association (SAMRA) saw a record turnout, with the planned cycleway on Strand Road one of the key issues. The meeting was also attended by local councillors and Dublin Bay South TDs Jim O'Callaghan, Ivana Bacik and Eoin Hayes. While Dublin City Council (DCC) has yet to make a final decision, the community's views were strongly in favour of an off-road solution which would take the safety of residents and traffic congestion into account. SAMRA, while not opposed to the cycleway in principle, has voiced its preference for it to be integrated into the Sandymount Flood Alleviation Scheme, which is already in the design phase and has undergone public consultation. SAMRA believes this would create 'a safer, more sustainable solution for everyone', reducing the impact of thousands of vehicles currently using Strand Road and preventing the increased traffic from spilling into surrounding residential streets. A resident who attended the AGM voiced concern over the impact of the proposed cycleway on local traffic, noting that the closure of Strand Road for Irish Water works had already caused significant disruption. Another person said her newborn baby will have 'reached school age' before an off-road cycleway is completed as part of the flood defence project. Residents expressed frustration that, despite the ongoing public consultation, the timeline for the flood alleviation project would not see construction begin until 2029. In addition to addressing traffic and safety concerns, the AGM highlighted the importance of engaging with the community before any final decisions are made. SAMRA has formally requested that DCC consult widely with residents and stakeholders, particularly given the diverse views expressed at the meeting. ADVERTISEMENT Several local councillors, including Hazel Chu and David Coffey, voiced support for the off-road cycleway solution, acknowledging the need for further consultation and careful consideration of the community's needs. Deputy Ivana Bacik also expressed her support for a compromise solution, advocating for the safety of both cyclists and pedestrians. 'It is vital to deliver something [for cyclists]; a compromise on Strand Road, for the safety of children and adults,' she said. Labour councillor Dermot Lacey said the reality is that a cycleway off-road could have been built already. '90pc of it could have been completed by now,' he said. 'The reality favours an off-road solution, but the power rests with the DCC executive who can impose what they want.' In April, the Court of Appeal overturned a High Court decision that had blocked the cycleway's development, giving Dublin City Council the green light to proceed with plans for the Strand Road cycleway. The cycleway, which would link the existing Sutton to Sandycove cycleways, aims to create a continuous, physically protected route from the city's northside to the southside. While the community's concerns over traffic and disruption remain, the court decision ensures the council now has the legal authority to implement the cycleway.
RTÉ News
30-04-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Calls for Sandymount cycle lane to be located off road
A meeting of a residents group in Sandymount has heard calls for any cycle lane for the area to be located off road as part of planned flood defence works and not located on the Strand Road reducing traffic to one lane, one way. There was standing room only at the Annual General meeting of the Sandymount and Merrion Residents Association (SAMRA) following a recent Court of Appeal decision that paves the way for Dublin City Council to proceed with plans for a cycleway on the road, which was first proposed during Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020. The majority of locals and public representatives who spoke, many of whom are cyclists, expressed their opposition to the plans, saying it would have an adverse impact on traffic in the area. SAMA chairman David Turner told the more than 150 attendees that Dublin City Council's proposals would result in thousands of cars that previously used Strand Road using narrow residential streets in Sandymount village. The group says this could result in parts of the area becoming 'rat runs' and that there are concerns that traffic projections for the area have not taken account of the opening of the Glass Bottle Site in Ringsend, which will have an estimated ten thousand extra people living and working in the area when construction is completed. The current population of Sandymount is around 7,000. Local TDs, Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan, Labour leader Ivana Bacik and Independent TD Eoin Hayes, along with a number of local Councillors, were among those who attended the meeting. Resident Audrey Handley said the water works that were carried out on Strand Road in recent times showed the major impact rerouting traffic had on the area and she said the issue of the cycle path is not over and done until locals got an off road solution. However, another resident, who had her six-week-old baby with her, said that if locals wait for a cycle lane to be built off road as part of flood defence works which are not expected to be constructed until at least 2029, the newborn baby in her arms would be in primary school before it would be ready. Green Party Councillor Hazel Chu told the meeting that she believed the area could "do both" by implementing a cycle lane on Strand Road while they await construction of an off road cycleway. She also made the point that Dublin City Council had yet to make a decision on a cycleway for the area but her contribution was met with some verbal opposition. Local resident David Timoney said that he was concerned that a whole generation of local children were not cycling because they were afraid to mix with cars on the Strand Road. However, another resident Chris Lysatt said that 80% of local children use roads other than the Strand Road to cycle to school so rerouting traffic to these areas would increase the risk to the majority of children in the area. Councillor Dermot Lacey of the Labour Party said that the Dublin City Council could have built the off road option if they had listened to Councillors a number of years ago, who he said had constantly suggested the off road option. He also said that it is shameful that it could take the OPW up to ten years to build flood defences in the area. Mr Lacey added that the recent court ruling meant the Dublin City Council now had the power to put a cycleway off road if they chose. Ms Bacik said the off-road option was the optimal approach but the difficulty is the delay in delivering it. She said a question had to be asked about why it would take so long.
