The Irish government has announced plans for a 2,000 kilometre cycling network which will connect the major cities, 500km of which will be on cycle paths that are separate to the road network.
Work has commenced on planning the first “interurban” route from Dublin to Galway with completion expected before the end of 2010. Thirteen route “corridors” have been identified to include the cities of Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Limerick and Galway, and almost 100 large towns to make up the National Cycle Network.
All of the 26 counties are included with the exception of Longford and will vary in length from 52km (Drogheda to Trim) to 286km (Wexford to Tralee). Almost 500km of potential off-road cycle routes will be physically separated from the road by a grass verge or other barrier. The first route Dublin to Galway will apparently include parts of the Royal Canal towpath, abandoned railway lines and by-passed national roads, including the old N6. The study will also identify which types of cycle path will be used on each section of the route.
The network will be made up of off-road cycleways; on-road cycleways, which are not shared with buses and taxis, and cycle trails or dedicated cycle paths, which are entirely separate from the road network, along canal tow paths or disused rail lines.
This is the first stage of the process with the road authorities commenting that the route corridors were a “skeleton” around which the national network should develop. This could include “links and loops” between each of the corridors, as well as links to local rural and urban cycle routes to gradually allow all parts of the State to be served by cycle paths.
Local authorities will be responsible for developing their section of the network with funding available through the National Sustainable Transport Office, which has been allocated €50 million for 2010 and 2011. The total cost of the project is unknown (?) however detailed plans which will be released shortly for the Dublin to Galway route should include a detailed costing.
