Bike lane plans to come before council while new parklets to be rolled out across Cork city

Fergus Sommers, Justine Looney, Siobhan Keogh and Erin O'Brien gather to celebrate the first anniversary of the ‘People’s Parklet’ on Douglas Street. Picture: Clare Keogh.

Plans for two key bike lanes will come before Cork City Council for approval next week.

The proposed Melbourne Road/Rossa Avenue bike lane near Cork Institute of Technology, and the Donovan’s Road bike lane project — which includes upgrades along College Rd and a new cycle path to replace an existing path linking Glasheen Rd to Magazine Rd — are both due before councillors next Monday for decision, following public consultation.

The news comes following criticism from cycling campaigners about the slow pace of delivery of cycling infrastructure as part of the city’s Covid-19 recovery strategy.

In an update, Cork City Council said construction of the 2km Horgan’s Quay inbound bike lane from Lower Glanmire Rd to Penrose Quay is under way, while preparatory work on several others is well advanced, including:

• Work on 3kms of bike lanes along Centre Park Rd and Monaghan Rd is due to start in a “few weeks”;
• The first phase of the Greenway, 2.5km from the Marina to Mahon, is ready to go tender by the end of this month, with phase two, Mahon to Passage, at design stage;
• Upgrades to 3kms of bike lane between Carrigrohane and Model Farm Rd, and from there to Curraheen Rd, will be tendered by the end of this month;
• The South Mall and McSwiney Quay to Victoria Rd bike lane projects are at detailed design stage, with tender documents being prepared;
• The MacCurtain St transport upgrade, which includes segregated bike lanes on the northern quays, is out for public consultation and should be before council for decision in October;
• The Grange to Tramore Valley cycle path, which includes a pedestrian/cycle bridge over the N40, and 1km of new bike lanes, is at detailed design stage for tender by the end of the year;
• The 4.5km Glanmire cycle path project is awaiting An Bord Pleanála approval for CPO;
• The 4km Ballybrack cycle track is at detailed design stage for tender towards the end of the year.

Fergus Sommers, Siobhan Keogh, Erin O'Brien and Justine Looney celebrate the first anniversary of the ‘People’s Parklet’ on Douglas Street. Picture: Clare Keogh

Meanwhile, the city council has invited applications from ‘parklet partners’ to ‘adopt’ 10 new parklet installations which convert parking spaces into outdoor seating areas complete with pollinator-friendly planting, following the success of the Douglas St parklet over the last year.

Business owners, institutions, neighbourhood groups, and other community groups are eligible to apply.

The funding and installation costs will be covered by the council, but the ‘parklet partner’ will be responsible for its day-to-day upkeep.

Parklets can be used by customers if they are associated with a business, but the installation must also be available for public use.

The parklets will be evaluated after a year to consider whether they should be kept in place for another year, replaced with more permanent seating, or moved to a new location.