Comment & Analysis: The planned changes to the South Circular Road project in Limerick seem like a reasonable compromise, but some details should be adjusted, and its also an opportunity to improve cycling connectivity.Why do the planned changes seem like a reasonable compromise? Providing two-way access as planned for around 120 metres from Quin Street to Laurel Hill Ave would reduce the number of motorists who need to access the bollard-controlled section, between Summerville Ave and Laurel Hill Ave, while likely maintaining the low-traffic nature of the area between Laurel Hill Ave and the start of the cycle path at Quin Street.The changes give some residents more direct access from the main traffic route while improving the project overall.(1) Two-way cycling should be allowed on Quin StreetQuin Street is currently two-way for all traffic, but mainly to accommodate more car parking, it was made one-way under the original Part 8 planning permission.Cycling permeability should not be reduced as part of an active travel project, and theres a simple fix here allowing cycling contraflow on this low-traffic, and low-speed street, as is standard in most of Europe. There are also a number of examples that have worked without issue in Dublin for decades.For years, a lack of Irish guidelines on this type of measure made councils reluctant to roll it out, but updates to the Cycle Design Manual and the Traffic Signs Manual have cleared that up. Theres now no excuse. The carriageway width including car parking and a gap of 3.5 metres between parked cars on Quin Street is more than sufficient to allow for contra-flow cycling. The examples in Dublin are much more restricted in width.IMAGES: Examples of contra-flow. Images 1-2 are Terenure Park, Dublin 6W; images 3-4 are Leinster Street North,Phibsborough, Dublin 7; measurements are estimates from a tool that works in 1m increments, but the Terenure example is close to 3m, while the Phibsborough example is just over 3 m.Heres an extract from the Traffic Signs Manual showing the signs and markings to be used: On the South Circular Road in Limerick, an entry treatment can be provided at the location shown below with the green arrow at the point where people cycling could enter the street: IMAGE: Drawing of South Circular Road with its junction with Quin Street. The drawing is from the current Section 38 public consultation. While an exit treatment could fit with ease at the other end of the street:IMAGE: Drawing of Quin Street as per the South Circular Road project drawings dated August 2026.(2) On the South Circular Road, improve the crossover pointIn the new plan, the current crossover point is planned as a parallel crossing combined with the zebra, but its a bit convoluted.An alternative crossing point could look something like the below image. There are more points of segregation possible, but Im not marking them as Im unclear about the access points to the church and access to the disabled parking spot. The stop line could also be a yield line. I would not recommend this kind of layout anywhere, but this should be low speed and low traffic:Some might say that the above is too radical for Ireland or something along those lines, but if you look at all the movements over the planned crossing, theres quite a lot going on:Pedestrians crossing in both directions.Motorists going both ways on the carriageway.Cyclists going towards the city centre alongside the kerb in the cycle lane/path.Cyclists crossing the crossing are they expected to join the footpath first, or what route will they take?With all of that in mind, using the space north of Quin Street where there are fewer movements and just one traffic lane to cross makes more sense.(3) Mark the shared sections of South Curilar Road, Quin Street and Laurel Hill Ave as cycle streetsThe carriageway on the bollard-controlled section of South Curilar Road is a no-brainer to mark asa cycle street. For simplicity, Id expand that to include up to and including Quin Street and Laurel Hill Ave.Cycle streets are designed to prioritise cycling, and in Ireland, they include a legal ban on overtaking bicycles. But its really more about design, including signifying that the street is different.Even if the council doesnt want to follow through on this idea now, its worth revisiting when the project is finished.(4) The project should use updated markings throughoutEven if none of the above suggestions is followed, the Traffic Signs Manual should be followed, and the project should use updated markings throughout, including the shared street cycle logos and the contra-flow cycling logos along the bollard-controlled section of the route.The Traffic Signs Manual update last year makes it clear that the new shared street symbol should replace the carrageway cycle symbol in all contexts except bus lanes and advance stop boxes. So, on the bollard-controlled section of the route and the new two-way area for motorists, which are part of the planned changes, the new logo should be used.