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THE PREFERRED ROUTE for the final stretch of a multi-million euro cycle route has been announced.
Running from Galway to Dublin, the coast-to-coast Greenway currently has three of its thirteen sections complete, with the rest to be built once funding comes available.
At the launch of the latest stretch, connecting Ashtown and Castleknock, Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar revealed details of the preferred route for the western section.
This would run through Shannonbridge, Loughrea, Craughwell, Clarinbridge and Oranmore to the Galway coast.
The Minister said he was pleased with the progress so far, with sections being constructed on an incremental basis, but said that finishing the rest of the route will be a “huge task”.
A 43km section costing €4 million between Mullingar and Athlone is due to be opened in 2015.
Another two in Kildare and Meath are at “shovel ready” stage and are awaiting further funding.
Here’s the progress so far (click here for a larger version of this image):
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Nationwide network of these cycle paths now taking shape nicely.
With a bit of marketing and advertising abroad, in no time the place will be swarming with Northern Europeans who love a bit of a peddle.
Should be good news for pubs, shops, restaurants and B & Bs along the way.
Well done Leo Varadkar!
Yeah, this looks brilliant!
Our entire west coast should be a maze of walking and cycling tracks! It’s a prospect that would genuinely make a huge difference to their economies! Best if the development of bars, restaurants and guest houses are kept small scale, get the real economy ticking over!
Bring it on. Can’t wait to test cycle this once it’s ready.
This country gets better and better. More in there line to cut the briars before they cut the eyes out of my head!!
A cycle route from Donegal to Cork hugging the coast as best as possible would bring a massive boom.
You need relatively flat terrain for a Greenway, unless you’re a seriously fit cyclist. Coastal roads are full of steep inclines and declines.
No you don’t! Nobody is suggesting your average cyclist is going to travel the full coast but it would certainly be a huge asset to local tourism!
Agree with Ted – and besides you keep it on a nice gradient easily. Also people want to see nice scenery – not flat bogland for miles to see.
it’ll give a wheel cyclelogical boost to those who need it most
The nimbies will want it to be put underground
Actually, this seems like one thing that people mightn’t object to living beside.
Irish cycle way … Can they at least put a roof on it?
Don’t encourage any more clutcheez in Dublin. We have too many already!
I will definitely be giving it a go. Will be hoping not to be mugged before I reach section 3 though.
Finish the bloody motorway network before you go wasting money on people’s hobbies!!
Good for tourism and great for cyclists stop moaning
Scrap the motorway programme. Oversized waste of scarce money
More in their line to bypass adare or an outer ring of dublin to avoid the M50 or widen the M7 down as far as the M9 merge!
I don’t think it should be scrapped, but it was very poorly designed, such that we now need far more kilometres of motorway than necessary. Having three motorways heading south, practically parallel for much of the way is lunacy.
More roads mean more cars mea more traffic america has prove this time and again
Yeah scrap the motorways.Be fun wont it when your tofu and other green fodder arrives by bicycle or ass and cart…Or do you all expect us all to live in Mega city Dublin??
Motorways in Ireland is like a baby getting its first solid food.
Chatting to a tourist today and the countryside is what grabbed him, cycling is a great way to see the country and the tourist spend is a very democratic spend in local, shops, pubs and B&Bs which are best placed to benefit. Between cycling and hiking there is a big untapped market.
This is one thing the authorities are getting right. The infrastructure is not costing a huge amount. Thanks to the Brits we have a maze of old train lines and canals throughout the country that can be used to create walk and cycle ways. With a push for everyone to get active it has many benefits. With a huge demographic retiring or retired looking for an active and healthy hobby a lot of tourists can be attracted. No reason why we shouldn’t match NZ as an outdoor activity country – walking, hiking, cycling, sea kayaking, etc. The Spanish have done extremely well out of the camino in Spain and others are following suit.
Hope its not the way the motorways were built with land speculation and the like, a meandering path depending on who owns the land and how much councillors received as backhanders.
What we now need is for Irish rail to improve the service for cyclists. There is now way for small groups to use the trains to transport bikes (unless I’m mistaken?)
Along the Esker Riada – best way of all.
I live by the completed ashtown section. It’s a great job. If it cost 1.7m however the next section to the Kildare border will be massive money, terrain is far worse with the train immediately to one side and the canal dug down into the rock to the other. Still fair play on what’s done so far.
I’m aiming or cycle the old n4-6 this September cycle way would great
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