Protected two-way cycle path to run in the centre of the roadway, a first for Ireland, but council officials note the unusual design has limited application elsewhere in the city. Dublin City Council plans to finally link the cycle paths on the Clontarf route to the quays, with construction due to start in August 2026. It is planned as a quick-build interim project, with artists impression images (below) showing that the route will mainly use planters similar to those outside the Four Courts.The interim plan will override another plan which this website covered in 2024. It was a more permanent plan but the draft drawings ended unresolved before the quays, with the final section depending on the layout chosen around Custom House for a plaza at the front or rear of the landmark building. But progress on the plaza options, proposed as part of the Dublin City Centre Transport Plan 2023, has stalled.The interim route would run from the southern end of Clontarf to City Centre Cycle and Bus Priority Project at Connelly Station and extend past Busras and Custom House and over Talbot Memorial Bridge across the River Liffey.Drawings and artists impression images of the route were published online ahead of a meeting of the councils Central Area Committee next week.Cllr Karl Stanley (Social Democrats), who cycles along the route daily, said: The link between the end of Talbot Street and the river is crucial for people travelling by bike from the Northside. At the moment, there is an abrupt end to the safe, protected infrastructure at the Talbot Street junction, which is off-putting to a large cohort of commuters.In this plan, a physically segregated bike lane connects from the Talbot Street junction past the IFSC, which is a difficult stretch at the moment, needing up to three lane changes in unpredictable traffic. The unconventional median strip design somewhat solves this problem, which is welcome, he said. Cllr Stanley said that its an unusual design, but it overcomes the need to battle it out with motorists when cycling through the one-way traffic system around Custom House, which he said is brutal, especially in bad weather. He added: So, if it helps with that, Im broadly in favour.IMAGE: The planned route (orange) is shown in context with other cycle paths (green) and protected cycle lanes (lighter green), low traffic shared streets purple) and shared paths (blue), including the Royal Canal Greenway, the Liffey Cycle Route and the S2S Dublin Bay route. The route fills in a key missing linkAt Georges Quay and City Quay, the route will link to the existing two-way cycle path from OConnell Bridge to the south Docklands. It will fill in a key link in a growing network of cycle routes, which includes the Royal Canal Greenway, Grand Canal Cycleway, the northern section of the S2S Dublin Bay route, and smaller links such as Lombard Street.At the junction of Amiens Street and Talbot Street, the existing cycle paths on the building sides of Amiens Street will cross over via a traffic light-controlled system to the new two-way cycle path.Along the full length of the two-way cycle path on Amiens Street, there will be planters on both sides protecting the cycle route. The space used by one of the two southbound traffic lanes between Connelly and the IFSC is to be reallocated to provide the two-way cycle path. The bus lane and bus stop bays are to remain unaffected. IMAGE: An artists impression of the crossover point to the two-way cycle path on Amiens Street.The images of drawings within the report are of low resolution, but the text seems to suggest that the cycle path will be around 3 metres wide, with sections mostly varying between 2.8-3.2 metres. The artists impression images show a narrow buffer space between some of the marked cycle tracks and the planters; its unclear if the measurements include this space. At Beresford Place, just south of Busras, the cycle path will run alongside the traffic island before crossing over to the side of the grounds of Custom House, partly replacing and expanding on the existing contra-flow cycle path that runs between the footpath and bus lane at this point.IMAGE: An artists impression of the two-way cycle path as it runs beside the traffic island.At Talbot Memorial Bridge, the existing contra-flow cycle path will be removed from the footpath level, and a two-way cycle path will be provided at the carriageway level. Most of the space for the cycle path is to be taken from the current protected cycle lane and its buffer on the south side of the bridge. The footpath on the bridge is to be fully repaved. The existing southside cycle lane is likely to be less used, but will remain in place with a width of 1.5 metres. Three current traffic lanes will be maintained.IMAGE: An artists impression of the two-way cycle path as it crosses Talbot Memorial Bridge.This arrangement would not be appropriate in most parts of the cityIn a report to local area councillors, Claire French, a senior engineer with the traffic and transport section of the council, said: The Traffic section of the Public Realm and Transportation Department has been examining an interim cycle scheme to connect two key routes: the ClontarfCity Centre route and the Liffey Cycle Route at Georges Quay.While a longer-term permanent scheme will be developed by the Active Travel Team, its delivery is likely to take several years due to the significant civil works required. In the interim, and to maximise the benefits of these existing high-quality routes, an interim cycle route from Talbot Street to Georges Quay will be implemented, she said.French said: A new cycle lane layout will be installed which has not previously been implemented elsewhere in the country. This involves the creation of a protected two-way cycle lane located in the centre of the roadway between traffic lanes. Due to traffic volumes, the absence of right turns along the route, and the significant width of the road, this location is particularly suitable.She said that an advantage of the design is that it avoids busy bus stops while reducing interactions with buses. She said that in most cases, the cycle path will also go through junctions with general traffic without requiring separate green time, meaning the two-way cycle path will flow at the same time as the main flow of traffic and buses.French said: While this arrangement would not be appropriate in most parts of the city, the layout at this location makes it well-suited.As this is an interim scheme, no major civil works are required. However, some minor works at junctions will be necessary. Working closely with Parks, Biodiversity & Landscape Services, planters have been designed (including dimensions, materials and planting) to provide protection along most of the route. These will improve the visual appearance of the currently wide, vehicle-dominated streets and introduce much-needed greening, she said.French outlined that if the scheme proves unsuccessful, or when a permanent scheme is developed, the planters can be removed and reused elsewhere in the city centre.The report said that the works primarily road markings, planter installation, and minor junction modifications are proposed to start in August and are expected to take around six weeks. A low amount of traffic disruption is expected during the works, and local stakeholders will be notified in advance.Drawings from the south quays to Connelly StationAt Talbot Memorial Bridge with the Custom House in the top right and IFSC in the bottom right:At the traffic island with Custom House in the top left, Busras in the top right, and the IFSC to the bottom of the drawing:At Connelly Station, with the two-way cycle path in the middle of the road and the crossover point to the right of the image: A low-res close-up of the crossover point:MORE: Report on Amien Street to Georges Quay Interim Cycle Route