A major protest will take place along Dublin’s Liffey Quays this Sunday to highlight the ongoing delays in developing the proposed Liffey Cycle Route. The protest, which is being organised by the Dublin Cycling Campaign, is calling for the immediate implementation of temporary measures to trial a segregated cycle route along the Liffey Quays. 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.

Another public consultation on the route was conducted in 2019, but the earliest possible date for the project to be completed is predicted to be 2024. This is not soon enough, according to the Dublin Cycling Campaign. They want to see trial measures put in place, using temporary bollards, to test out the route and see how it will work in practice.

“Trialling sections of a segregated cycle route along the River Liffey will deliver something quicker than 2024 and show the huge demand for a safe cycle route along our city’s river”. says Kevin Baker, Chairperson of Dublin Cycling Campaign. “We’ve seen the council conduct similar small-scale trials via its DCC Beta division, and we think a scaled-up version of the same mechanism could be used to create a trial Liffey Cycle Route.”

The trial implementation of the cycle route is due to be discussed at next month’s Dublin City Council meeting, and Council officials have suggested they are willing to assess the proposal. Several Dublin City Councillors are expected to join in the Liffey Cycle Protest this Sunday. An online petition in support of the trial cycle route has already received more than 4,000 signatures.

The Liffey Cycle protest is due to begin in Grand Canal Square on Sunday morning at 11am, with a large group setting off to cycle a loop of the Liffey Quays, before finishing up back at Grand Canal Square. Organisers say the protest will be a family-friendly affair and that everyone is welcome to join in, especially those who don’t cycle regularly in Dublin but would like to.

“The Liffey Cycle Route wouldn’t only benefit the people who already cycle in Dublin,” says Louise Williams, Vice Chairperson of Dublin Cycling Campaign, “it would also enable the many others who would like to cycle, but just don’t feel comfortable doing so in the current conditions.”