Dublin Cycling Campaign has welcomed Dublin City Council’s recommendation that a trial implementation of the Liffey Cycle Route should go ahead this year.

Calls for a trial of the route had intensified after it was revealed that the permanent cycle route would not be implemented until at least 2024. Last month over 250 people attended the latest in a series of protests which the Dublin Cycling Campaign has organised in support of the Liffey Cycle Route. An online petition in support of the trial cycle route has received more than 4,000 signatures.

“Dublin Cycling Campaign welcomes the recommendation to trial sections of the Liffey Cycle Route” says Kevin Baker, Chairperson of Dublin Cycling Campaign, “The trial isn’t perfect but it will better protect the thousands of people who cycle along the Liffey quays everyday. The trial will show the huge demand for a safe cycle route along our city’s river through the heart of Dublin”

“The Liffey Quays is currently a hazardous environment for people on bikes, and this results in fewer people choosing to cycle there,” says Louise Williams, Vice Chair of Dublin Cycling Campaign. “We want to see a city where people of all ages and abilities are enabled to cycle, and this trial of the Liffey Cycle Route is a big step in that direction.”

“This trial will reduce pressure on public transport on the quays by providing more bus lanes and giving more people the option to cycle from Heuston into the city centre” says Mr Baker.

A dedicated cycle route along the Liffey Quays, linking Heuston Station to the Point Village, was first proposed in 2011, but it has been dogged by planning & design issues, as well as strong opposition from some city centre businesses - primarily the operators of private car parks.