Comment & Analysis: Imagine driving along and being delayed for 2-3 minutes in a suburban area on the edge of a city. Its a normal thing. Stick a cyclist in there. And many drivers go crazy. Even if they keep their calm on the road, theyll have a good rant afterwards.One recent example people have been complaining about is the two-way cycle path on the Glanmire Road. The cycle path is part of the Glanmire to City Centre Cycle Route (Phase 1). Only 932m of the route has been built. Faster cyclists, who are cycling on routes with no cycle paths, are the least likely to divert. Thats not to say only faster cyclists will not divert to the cycle path, but they are the least likely to divert.The more I looked at the situation, the easier it was for me to understand why some people are not using the cycle path, especially when they are travelling from the Cork City direction towards Glanmire or beyond. So, even in my head the picture of what was going on developed:It started with: The cycle path, which is roughly 1km, isnt being used by some cyclists. It developed into: The cycle path, which is about 1km, isnt being used by mostly faster cyclists, especially when they are coming from a direction where theres no other route and no easy connection to the cycle path. With other routes, the cycle path connects from Glanmire to Then I tooka look at a video of the route(after this route ends, the person filming continues in the opposite direction to the city). That changed things I could see just how short the route was, not 1km, but only 932 metres. I could also see that there is no apparent direct connection to allow people cycling on the other side of the road to cross over without using a convoluted shared signalised crossing. And I could see that cycling on what is effectively a footpath for 200 metres was needed to get to/from the cycle path.For faster cyclists, the distance takes:2 minutes and 14 seconds at 25km/h, or 1 minute and 36 seconds at 35km/h.And thats with the presumption motorists arent going to get anywhere to overtake and if they cannot overtake for the 900 odd metres, its at least partly down to too much traffic coming in the other direction. IMAGE: A still from a video on YouTube showing where the route currently ends.So, we end with: A short cycle path, with shared-footpath-like surfaces at both ends, a convoluted shared signalised crossing at one end, and no connections into Cork City, isnt being used by some faster cyclists, and it probably delays motorists by only around 2 minutes or less.So, does that mean we should stop building cycle paths?Of course it doesnt. While the route will eventually form part of a network of urban, interurban and greenways in Cork, right now it already allows for a connection from Glanmire (or at least the edge of it) to Little Island and onto Carrigtwohill, where a future route will link to Midleton and beyond. Rome was not built in a day. That still does not explain why connections to and from the route are not better for people using it today.Things only get worse when you dig into this. Why, if the project drawings for the Glanmire to City Centre Cycle Route (Phase 1). go up to the Dunkettle Roundabout, does the project currently end around 200 metres away from it? Its not perfect, but the draft project drawing showed the route going by the roundabout: IMAGE: Part of the Glanmire to City Centre Cycle Route plan that was not built.The real truth is the Dunkettle Roundabout was being kept relatively untouched because its part of the car-centric masterplan for Tivoli Docks. Of course, the Port of Cork would claim otherwise; they would say its not car-centric, rather, they are sustainable. But the planned junctions on both sides of the site paint a different picture.Its bonkers that a body wholly owned by the Government is being allowed to act like a rogue private company developing a plan without talking to local councillors first. But regardless of how the plan was developed, slapping on a tagline, Planning for a Sustainable Future, does not change the fact that this is not sustainable planning. Its not how bus priority is provided anywhere that takes it seriously, and its more of the same convoluted nonsense for cycling. The Tivoli Docks site is a brownfield site with the city centre less than 3km to the west, a major employment centre starting 1km to the east, and a segregated cycle path already mostly built to an established town 1.5km north of the site. This is not where shared greenway paths belong. But even if you think shared greenway-like paths are ok here, you dont replace a car-friendly roundabout with a car-friendly junction without (at the very, very least) also including a separate bridge for people walking and cycling so they dont have to mix with car traffic on a junction where theres almost certainly that active travel will not be prioritised when it comes to traffic signals and waiting times. Ill dig into the Tivoli Docks roads plans separately, but its clear its more of the type of infrastructure where faster cyclists will want to avoid due to the narrow nature of the paths, mixing with people walking, and many spots, especially junctions, looking more like footpaths with signs put up saying cycling is allowed.If the current approach continues, more motorists will be left wondering: Why isnt that cyclist using the cycle path?IMAGE: An artists impression of the junction to replace the Dunkettle Roundabout.IMAGE: An artists impression of the access plan for the city end of Tivoli Docks.