Criticism for new Cork city cycle lane but council says it's not finished yet

A NEW cycle lane in the heart of Cork city has been described as dangerous by one of the city’s pro-cycling advocates but Cork City Council said it is “still under construction”.

Cork-based Bike Commuting Ireland said the new cycle way running through Leitrim Street in the northside, is an “accident waiting to happen.”

Cork City Green Party Cllr Oliver Moran said, “I’ve reported the issue to the relevant senior officials in Cork City Council and to An Garda Síochána and requested enforcement measures. [It’s] very important to nip this in the bud before it becomes the norm, and the investment is wasted.” A spokesperson for Bike Commuting Ireland said it has raised it with Cork City Council but has received no satisfactory response.

The new bike lane, the cycling advocacy group spokesperson claims, is “completely useless” without bollards and markings. 

“There needs to be bike symbols there which there aren’t at the moment. I don’t know why there isn’t because they put down the white paint. I don’t know they didn’t put down the bike paint at the same time. It doesn’t make much sense.”

A spokesperson for Cork City Council said:

“The inbound cycle lane on Leitrim Street is still under construction. High Friction Surfacing Material will be laid once pavement and weather conditions are suitable.

“Signage and lining need to be installed and snagged prior to opening the cycle lane. This will be carried out as works progress. In the meantime our traffic wardens are patrolling the area daily and we remind the public that parking in cycleways and on the edge of footpaths is an offence,” said the spokesperson.

Bike Commuting Ireland also criticised many of the new lanes being put down in the city, pointing to the bike lane at the car park at the back of Merchant’s Quay in the city centre. “The cycle lane there has very poor signage,” the spokesperson said.

Planners need to get on their bikes and experience the cycle lanes for themselves, the group said.

“There are a lot of junctions at the moment where we have pedestrian priority zones. It’s not very clear how cyclists should use it. Pedestrians have priority but there needs to better signage.

“At the moment, we just have tactile paving, and it almost feels like ‘is this the end of the road, am I supposed to get off?’ It’s very confusing, the way we’re designing things at the moment,” the spokesperson said.