Pressure group calls for Dublin Bay promenade
A 25-kilometre walking and bicycle route is being planned to link the two ends of spectacular Dublin Bay.
If the plans gets the go-ahead, the promenade/cycleway would stretch from Sutton, on the north side of the capital, to Sandycove at the southern end.
The project has its own pressure-group - S2S - and promotional website, with the aim of persuading the authorities to take action.
At present, only short sections of the way between Sutton to Sandycove are reserved for walkers or cyclists, and the estimate is that a completed route could cost as much as €30m.
But those behind the idea pointed out this weekend that the amount involved would equal the cost of one kilometre and a fly-over on the M50 orbital motorway, which is approaching completion around Dublin.
According to a spokesman for the S2S, the concept would “deliver great benefits to Dublin in return for a relatively small capital investment”.
He added “A top-ranking continuous walking or cycling route fringing the shore of the bay would be an irresistible draw for people in our modern, high-stress traffic-locked city.
“And it would be the longest urban seafront promenade in Europe – a fantastic facility for young and old, able and disabled alike.
One local authority, Dun Laoghaire and Rathdown County Council, based on the south side of the River Liffey estuary, has already agreed to include the proposal in its development plan, which is currently under review.
And the idea also has the potentially crucial support of Dublin’s Docklands company.
Chief executive Peter Coyne said: “We are committed to providing safe walkways and cycleways along the quays of the Liffey and extending them to the bay.”
Politically, the scheme is being backed by Ireland’s Green Party, now a significant force in the Dublin parliament following gains in this year’s general election.
Ciaran Cuffe, who won a seat in Dun Laoghaire at the polls, said: “This would provide a safe, child-friendly and pollution free promenade for all Dubliners.
“I believe it is an excellent visionary proposal, and I pay tribute to the campaign group who are promoting it.
“This is an environmentally friendly and achievable project that deserves support.
“It involves some stretches of new promenade and a new pedestrian and cycle bridge, but consists mostly of the joining together of stretches of existing walkway.
“I believe it would be a relatively inexpensive project and I shall promote the project.”
