COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF RATHFARNHAM / TEMPLEOGUE / FIRHOUSE / BOHERNABREENA AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, November 08, 2022

MOTION NO. 7

MOTION: Councillor E. Murphy

To ask the Council to provide a report on the Tallaght to Ballyboden cycle scheme detailing progress on the scheme and potential upcoming/ further works on the scheme.

REPORT:

The Tallaght to Knocklyon Active Travel scheme (the successor to the Tallaght to Ballyboden Cycle Scheme) is currently progressing through preliminary design. It is intended to advance the scheme in a number of phases in order to accelerate the delivery of less complex elements of the scheme, while allowing the more challenging elements to progress through more lengthy design and consultation stages.

Phase 1, which will be developed under Section 38 powers will include the following:

• Old Bawn Road, south of the N81 junction to north of the junction with Firhouse Road West
• Firhouse Road from east of the Old Bawn / Killinniny junction to the Firhouse Road / Knocklyon Road junction
• Knocklyon Road from the junction with Firhouse Road to the western entrance of Dargle Woods Park
• This phase will also include a route from the Firhouse Road / Ballycullen Road junction to Knocklyon Road via the existing M50 pedestrian and cyclist bridge. Additional "secondary links" will be progressed in this phase.

Consultation with elected representatives and key stakeholders will be carried out in addition to a 4-week non-statutory public consultation. It is hoped this will take place early in 2023. Refinements arising from the consultation will be brought into the design and a construction contractor will be sought following this. It is hoped that construction will commence in Q2 2023. The construction duration and sequence will be developed as part of the detailed design and tendering processes.

Due, primarily, to the complexity of the junctions, the southern end of Old Bawn Road and the sections along Templeroan Road, Ballyboden Way (and additional key links) require additional effort from a design point of view. A considerable amount of traffic modelling is ongoing in order to inform the optimum solution for these sections. In each case, the preferred design will seek to encourage modal shift and look to help to meet transport emission targets while limiting, as far as possible, the impact on traffic movements.

These elements will be advanced under the Part 8 process in 2023. Subject to the outcome of the consultation / Part 8 process, these sections could be advanced to construction as single or separate contracts.

The Old Bawn / N81 junction will be progressed under a separate scheme along with other junctions on the N81. This will enable improvements at the junctions on the N81 to be assessed collectively and will streamline interactions with TII.