A new draft plan for the Markets area in Dublin between Smithfield and Capel Street has strong words of support for cycling, but little or no practical measures are provided in the plan beyond bicycle parking. The firmer public realm concepts outlined would remove cycle lanes and add more one-way streets, with no clear mention of providing for contra-flow cycling.The Draft Markets Public Realm Plan which is currently out for public consultation includes firm outline concepts for public realm upgrades, including pedestrian improvements and greening. This is the latest in a series of public realm and greening plans from Dublin City Council which do not fully provide for cycling. In countries such as the Netherlands, France, Germany, Belgium, and at least parts of the UK, streets similar to the local streets in this plan would at least include provision for contra-flow cycling cycliing. Modern projects in those countries would likely also look to cut all through traffic between the main roads, lowering the need for dedicated cycling infrastructure, improving safety and livability. The page titled Proposed Cycling Infrastructure includes the following text: Dublin City Council recognises the importance of cycling routes. The Markets Area Public Realm Plan presents an opportunity to create quiet cycling routes through the city block. The strategy proposed in this Public Realm Plan also addresses the issue of cycle parking within the Markets Area recording the existing banks of cycle stands and identifying suitable locations for additional cycle parking.However, none of the concept plans or overall plan which shows traffic movements includes any provision for cycling. IMAGE: The Proposed Cycling Infrastructure page.The proposed cycling map (above) includes the BusConnects quietways or low-traffic route (shown in a dashed purple line), which was largely included in the project to compensate for the removal of continuous cycle lanes on Church Street in favour of bus lanes.The city councils draft plan now also removes cycle lanes on the nearest parallel street to Church Street, Greek Street, without adding traffic reduction measures (see the last section of this article below). This means there will be poor cycling provision on both a primary and parallel secondary cycle route outlined in the Greater Dublin Area Cycle Network Plan. Other routes link routes in the GDA plan (shown in dashed lines in the extract map below) are just excluded from the citys new draft plan. While there are potential low-traffic routes between Capel Street and Smithfield, there are no such east-west routes provided in the GDA plan.The only defined westbound cycle route with the Markets area plan, on North Kings Street, may also be made harder to deliver if concept greening in an extended central island on that street is built and the city is reluctant to reduce traffic lanes.IMAGE: An extract from the NTAs GDA Cycle Network Plam.The general transport and movement page also includes promising platitudes about cycling. It states that: Cycling within the City Core offers a low-Carbon, space-efficient and accessible mode of transport that supports both climate objectives and vibrant urban life. Prioritising quiet cycle routes through the Markets area will help to improve air quality and cycle safety, enhancing the overall public realm by creating safer, more people focused streets. A well-designed cycling environment encourages short local trips, strengthens connections between neighbourhoods and supports local businesses through increased footfalland dwell time.Integrating cycling into the City Core is therefore not only a transport intervention but a placemaking opportunity that aligns with wider sustainability intervention but a placemaking opportunity that aligns with wider sustainability cycling network that balances strategic connectivity with local permeability. This includes clearly defined primary routes that link the area to the wider city cycling network, alongside a series of quiet routes on lower-traffic streets that prioritise safety, comfort and accessibility for all users, including less confident cyclists, it continues.In could be seen as firmer measures, the transport section adds: Quiet routes can be achieved through traffic calming, modal filtering and reduced vehicle speeds, Our objective is to create a network of safe, legible connections that complement busier corridors. Together, these elements should form an integrated, intuitive system that supports everyday cycling, enhances street vitality and ensures the Markets area is fully connected into the evolving city-wide active travel network.But beyond speed-reduction measures, the plan includes no clear examples of these measures.Concept plans include making streets or parts of streets such as Marys Lane and Halston Street one-way, without any clear provision for two-way cycling.IMAGE: The concept plan, including narrowing of the carriageway on Marys Lane.Greek Street is technically a local street, but in reality forms part of a 1970s one-way traffic system from the arch at Christchurch down Winetavern Street, across the River Liffey, and by the Four Courts. The plan includes no traffic-reduction measures but removes the cycle lane and narrows the carriageway on Greek Street, leaving people cycling to mix with high volumes of traffic in a narrower space. There is also no contra-flow cycling provided for on the street.IMAGE: The concept plan for Greek Street.