Tory Top Road residents say they oppose cycle lane

PLANS for a new cycle lane on the Tory Top Road were voted down by a show of hands at a recent public meeting in Ballyphehane Community Centre, according to a spokesperson for a local residents group.

Some 136 residents, public representatives, and members of community groups attended the meeting to discuss the plans on Thursday last week.

Engineers briefed the meeting with the latest updated plans, and there were responses from businesses, the Tory Top Road Residents Group, and three city councillors — Shane O’Callaghan and Paudie Dineen, who spoke against the plan, and Dan Boyle who supported it.

During a show of hands, residents supported scrapping the plans, said Dennis Kelly, who chaired the meeting.

A spokesperson for the Tory Top Road Residents Group said they are not opposed to cyclists, but the current proposal “doesn’t make sense”.

The plans involve the provision of a new raised cycle track on Tory Top, between its junction with Pearse Rd and Lower Friars Walk. It is understood the proposal will soon come before a meeting of Cork City Council and councillors will have the opportunity to vote on it.

“We would like to make it clear that we are not opposed in principle to cycleways but we feel that this is an unnecessary cycleway in the wrong place, which will create huge upheaval to residents, businesses, shoppers and mourners in the area,” said a spokesperson for the Tory Top residents group.

In mid-July, the plans were “strongly condemned” by some local residents, local councillors, and a TD, according to the spokesperson. “We feel that the proposed works would drastically change the nature of this settled suburban road, restrict access to homes, remove parking spaces, drastically affect the local businesses, cause huge traffic congestion, and restrict access for mourners to St Joseph’s Cemetery.”

'STERILE FEATURELESS STREET'

The spokesperson said that even local cyclists are now opposed to the scheme. “This proposal will drastically change the Tory Top Rd from a tree-lined road with historic links into a sterile featureless street.”

Tory Top Rd was lined with trees on both sides when Cork Corporation began developing Ballyphehane as part of its housing development in the 1950s. In recent times these trees have been “badly neglected by Cork City Council and butchered by the ESB network,” said the spokesperson.

“The proposed removal of 12 70-year-old mature trees is a crime against the environment and the historic nature of Tory Top Rd. We urge Cork City to properly prune back all the existing trees on Tory Top Rd so that they are both aesthetic and safe.”

The proposal will prevent access to residential driveways on the southern side of the road. Some 30 residential driveways provide “safe off-street parking for the residents on the southern side of Tory Top Road” which “enables them to avail of car insurance policy cost reductions relative to those who use on-street parking overnight”.

Other concerns include health and safety, parking for mourners attending funerals in St Joseph’s Cemetery, gas deliveries, the removal of a roundabout, and “traffic chaos” for smaller roads nearby.