€80 million allocated to active travel works

“It’s been an ambitious programme.”

€80 million has been committed to active travel works set to take place across South Dublin over the next three years, including a cycle track connecting Tallaght and Clondalkin.

€80.2m has been dedicated to implementing active travel walking and cycling projects across the South Dublin region up to 2028.

The money set to be spent on these projects amounts to almost a third of the €250m set aside for climate action works.

The funding will be acquired primarily from the National Transport Authority and will be complemented by the local authority’s capital reserves.

€7m of the money in the new three-year capital programme will be invested into a cycle scheme to improve cycle lanes between Tallaght and Clondalkin.

Councillor Eoin Ó Broin welcomed the commitment to active travel and noted that dedicated lanes in Clondalkin are something he looks forward to.

Cllr Ó Broin said: “Cycle South Dublin started in 2020. It’s been an ambitious programme to build over 200 kilometres of bike lanes – separated bike lanes with their own kerbs – across the county.

“It’s been moving from Rathfarnham through Templeogue across Tallaght and is slowly inching its way towards Clondalkin and Lucan, it’s not really there yet…I await that with great anticipation.”

Phase one of the Tallaght to Clondalkin cycle scheme will be undertaken as part of this investment in active travel, providing a way to travel by bike between the two village centres.

The works on the first part of that path are subject to the completion of Uisce Éireann works.

Cllr Ó Broin also called for progress on a project that would see Clondalkin Village connected to the Grand Canal – the Baldonell to Grand Canal scheme was allocated €9.3m and is currently at the preliminary design stage.

“I worked in the city for a number of years and I could cycle into the city from Clondalkin to Leeson Street in 30 minutes.

“But there’s no obvious link from the village or any part of Clondalkin to the canal…so that’s one of the goals.”

Other projects on the agenda include the Wellington Lane active travel scheme and the N81 Tallaght Central Strategy scheme.

€13.3m has been allocated for the former and it is set to provide improved and safer alternative travel routes to schools and amenities in the area as well as interconnectivity between Tallaght, Knocklyon and other areas.

€7m is expected to be spent on the N81 Tallaght scheme starting from Oldbawn junction up to Whitestown, currently at the design stage.

An extra €14.5m will be used to connect Oldbawn to Ballyboden in the same period of time.

€3m will go towards safe school zones across South Dublin while there are also plans to upgrade cycle paths at Grange Castle Business Park as employment opportunities grow there.

South Dublin County Council Director of Planning and Transport Teresa Walsh noted that the local authority want to stick to their commitment to implementing active travel across South Dublin.

The local authority’s Director of Planning and Transport said: “We have delivered 68 kilometres of active travel infrastructure over the last three to four years and over the next three years, we aim to deliver a similar amount of cycle track across the county.”

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.