Dublin Galway Greenway

A total of €23.5 million has been allocated to Greenways over the period 2012 to 2016 in Ireland. In a response to Tony McLoughlin ( Fine Gael TD for  Sligo-Leitrim), Minister Shane Ross provided details to the Dail last week.  Minister Ross stated that  "Under the National Cycle Network (NCN) Funding Programme approximately €23.5 million was allocated over the period 2012 to 2016 to advance cycle routes that provided valuable transport and recreational infrastructure, with the added potential to enhance tourist activity for the areas concerned.  This includes €10 million allocated under the Government Stimulus package 2014. Under the first tranche of NCN funding for the years 2012/2013, fifteen cycling projects were completed by local authorities across the country with €7 million in funding provided.  Under the second tranche of NCN funding for the years 2014-2016, a further three projects shared in funding of €6.3 million.  Of these three projects only one (in Waterfo

There was some great news for the Dublin Galway greenway over the summer including funding for the Meath/Kildare sections and extension in Westmeath and Longford. But away from the Dublin Galway Greenway, there have been more developments around the country that we have been keeping an eye on. More updates to follow.  GREENWAY NEWS from Derry Council says extension of cyclepath to Strathfoyle not dependant on EU funding Derry Journal “However, much talk of the  greenway  plans becoming a reality were based on Derry City and Strabane District Council securing funding from the ... GREENWAY NEWS from Dublin Dodder  Greenway  from Dublin Mountains to the City must go ahead without delay InTallaght (blog) Fine Gael TD for Dublin Rathdown, Josepha Madigan has called for the Dodder  Greenway , which would link the Dublin Mountains to the City, .. NTA puts Dodder  Greenway  project on hold to focus on Luas Irish Times The development of a walking and cyclin

Phase Four of the Royal Canal Greenway which is an integral part of the Dublin Galway greenway has been put on hold due to funding being reserved for Luas work. In a statement, the National Transport Authority which provides funding for the project said that the resources of Dublin City Council need to be "re-focussed" because of the demands of Luas cross city and other traffic management schemes. The NTA said "as the various projects linked to Luas cross city are progressed, resources will then be released to reactivate the other projects. The Royal Canal Greenway and other cycleways were part of a €30 million funding package for cycling facilities in the greater Dublin area announced by the government two years ago. Meanwhile, the Green Party has called on the Minister for Transport Shane Ross and the Irish Road Safety Authority to reconsider existing approaches to road safety and set a goal of zero fatalities and serious injuries on Ireland's roa

Supporters of the Dublin Galway Greenway project received some excellent news when it was announced that  Kildare ,  Meath ,  Longford  and Westmeath  are to receive funding for greenway projects following a decision by tourism minister  Shane Ross  to release unspent funds which, according to the minister, would otherwise not be drawn down this year. Following a review of the Cycle Network funding call of 2014, the minister concluded that not all the funding would be fully drawn down in 2016. Minister Ross decided to direct the funds to greenway projects that were  ‘shovel-ready’. The total funding involved amounts to over €3.5 million, with €2.5m of that going to the 38-kilometre section running from Maynooth in Co Kildare to the border of Co Westmeath. Ross stated: “Since my appointment, I have been particularly struck by the far-reaching benefits that greenways can bring to the localities in which they are situated, as is evidenced by the success of the Great Western Gre

The Transport Minister, Shane Ross, said yesterday that he hopes to do something in "a more concrete way" to solve the impasse on the Dublin Galway greenway. Minister Ross was answering a question in the Dail from FF TD Robert Troy on the long delays for the project. Minister Ross agreed with Robert Troy that the ‘Greenway’ holds a huge tourism potential for the  Midlands. He also said that in the meantime, he would "examine potential funding options to deliver the sections of the Galway to Dublin greenway in counties Kildare and Meath that have planning permission in place and may be progressed quickly". He also went on to highlight the huge potential for the Midlands to be a destination in its own right by commenting that "the completion of these sections would allow for the provision of a fully off-road greenway from Maynooth to Athlone. The provision of this 100 km section, combined with the 26 km Mullingar to Abbeyshrule greenway, would provide

RTE's Nationwide show on Friday 27th May 2016 examined how the rural community on the Sheep's Head peninsula in West Cork are benefiting from walking and cycling routes. The RTE programme highlighted the benefits and some of the concerns of the communities but it also highlighted how the Sheep's Head way could serve as a model for encouraging community support for other national greenways. The show mentioned that there are many positive impacts that accrue to communities that embrace tourism. But the presenter, Anne Cassin, also spoke about the opposition from landowners on other prominent greenway projects such as the the Dublin to Galway greenway route and the proposed greenway in Kerry. The story of the Sheep's Head way goes back 20 years when the community and farmers decided to open their land under permissive access for a cycling and walking route. 260 farmers came together and gave their permission for their land to be used for a walking route. R

The new harbour has been finished at Royal Canal Park. This was developed by Ballymore as part of the Royal Canal Park housing development. The cycleway along the canal bank has been reopened. As can be seen from the photos - the harbour is excellently built and will make for a very attractive feature on the Dublin Galway Greenway,

Editor’s Note: Many of our readers have contacted us and asked us how plans to develop the Dublin Galway Greenway were going. Here’s what we found out A little over six months ago, the Minister of Transport, Pascal Donohue,  announced  that the western end of the Dublin Galway greenway project would be paused to allow local issues be resolved while Kildare/Meath section would get the green light for immediate investment. This article will examine the current status of the project and look at the potential outcomes in 2016. As a background, the Dublin Galway greenway will be Ireland’s first cross-country cycle route covering a total distance of 210 km. The greenway forms a critical part of the Dublin to Galway Euro Velo Route #2   [readers correction]   and was announced as a strategic government project by Minister Leo Varadkar in 2012.  While the project was strongly supported in the east of the country, problems started to emerge at the western end due to landownership

Last week the outgoing transport minister Paschal Donohoe outlined the 2016 funding for the Dublin Galway Greenway. The funding was announced as part of a 23.2M funding package by the National Transport Authority for the Greater Dublin Area for 2016. The overall funding includes provision for DublinBikes expansion, and construction or further planning on walking/cycle routes In total, 1.65 million Euro will be made available for Dublin City Council, Fingal County Council and Kildare County Council. This allocation is specifically for the upgrade of the Royal Canal which will form the backbone of the Dublin Galway greenway on the eastern end of the national cycle route. Dublin City Council will receive 900,000 for the Royal Canal greenway which is broken down as follows: Royal Canal Cycle Route (Phase 2) - detailed design North Strand Road to Sherif Street. 500,000 Royal Canal Cycle Route (Phase 3) - detailed design North Strand Road to Phibsborough. 200,000 Royal Canal Cy

Now that planning permission is granted, it is hoped that Longford Forest can be linked to the Royal Canal Greenway. According to planning documents seen by this blog, a new off road cycle link between Newcastle Woods and the Royal Canal Greenway is being considered as part of the development of the Center Parcs holiday park. The decision to grant planning permission, subject to 22 conditions was announced this week. The planning grant included a clause that Center Parcs will have to provide almost €1 million (€951,420) to Longford County Council as a contribution to the upgrading of public infrastructure in the area of the development. Furthermore, details of the planning conditions specifically calls for a off road cycle link to the Royal Canal. This decision to grant permission is welcomed by campaigners for the Royal Canal Greenway and is a vote of confidence in the work carried out by Longford Council so far. Longford Council have developed the Royal Canal Greenway as fa