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2009-12-03 Balrothery M50 Interchange
Balrothery Interchange Cycleway & Pedestrian Route
Background
The Balrothery interchange is the junction of the M50 & the N81. The N81 is the main route from town out towards Blessington going by Terenure, Templeogue, Tallaght & Citywest. The Balrothery interchange is the also main route across the M50 for wheelchair users, pedestrians & cyclists. There is an existing cycle & pathway which goes under the interchange but over the M50, this has been a straight pathway with a dual cycle lane on the right hand side as seen if you are going away from the city. It is perhaps best understood if you look at this Google Maps Link
>This satellite picture was taken before the works started & shows the cycleway as it was, straight as an arrow.
At the interchange they are adding a dedicated on-ramp going from the N81 heading eastwards to the M50 heading northwards for cars. This meant that they had to close the cycle & pedestrian way for the duration of the build. There is in place a temporary detour.
Start of the build
At the start of the build cyclists & pedestrians suddenly found the route was closed. The builders neglected to put up any diversion signs & there was no forward notice. The builders did eventually put up signs to direct you to the diversion. We were told by builders on the ground that the work was likely to take about 3 months to complete. This was in November 2008. It has been closed now for over a year.
The diversion
The diversion that has been put in place brings you across to the south side of the N81 after you have crossed the M50 and up along the side of the M50 Southside off-ramp. It then brings you back across the N81 after the building works at the traffic lights. . The newly built ramp which brings you up the side of the M50 off ramp is poured concrete. It is now crumbling away as seen in the picture below. The ramp is very narrow and steep & becomes slippery when wet; it does not allow a pedestrian and a cyclist to pass each other without the cyclist dismounting. I do not know how a wheelchair user can use this ramp it seems to me far too steep to allow it.
The lights on the lanes across the N81 operate independently so that you must wait twice to cross the road. It often takes about 2 minutes to cross each. That’s 4 minutes per trip, 8 minutes per day, 40 minutes per week, over 34 hours in a year
The new cycle & pedestrian way
The new cycle way & pedestrian way as built is divided into two elements, for the pedestrians there is now a set of steps & for the cyclist / wheelchair user there is a set of ramps with switchbacks or U-turns in them. The set of steps is unacceptable to the council as it has no landing for those with reduced mobility. It would also provide attractive seating for nocturnal drinkers. The cycleway which would also be used by wheelchair users is a series of two u-turns and then a 90 degree left hand turn & a 90 degree right hand turn it then rejoins the old Tallaght road at the same place as the steps. The gradient & camber of both of the U-turns is fairly severe. It is negotiable on a bike but you must stop at each U-turn; I think it would be unusable for a wheelchair user. There is also no landing where a wheelchair user could rest. The cycleway is a single lane. There is no way two bikes could pass each other let alone a wheelchair user pass a pram. The cycle track is ringed by gravel traps, some gravel has already been transferred to the cycle path and provides a slipping hazard for both cyclists and wheelchair users. I have also expressed doubts over whether the track can be cleaned.
Current state of play
A number of email have been sent to officials in South Dublin County Council. A safety auditor has looked at the site. The auditor largely agreed with my concerns and has said the area is not safe. They are currently awaiting the response from the contractor.
SD 4/12/09
