Improving safety level at Hanlon’s Corner junction

Councillors will consider a report at an adjourned meeting of the Dublin Central Area Committee, on improved cyclist safety at the Hanlon’s Corner junction.

Over the past number of weeks, I and different members of the Area Committee have received contact from concerned residents who experienced first-hand, as a result of the poor layout at Hanlon’s Corner, near accidents themselves or whose family members were involved in similar near misses. On foot of those representations, Transportation Engineers from Dublin City Council have been examining the situation and their deliberations, to date, have been included in the report on the agenda.

I’d welcome your thoughts and ideas on the proposals that are contained in the report. Please email me at RayMcAdam@gmail.com.

I’ll provide a further update arising from the discussions of local Councillors in the coming days.

Report to the Chairperson and Members of the Central Area Committee: Hanlon’s Corner

Introduction

Requests have recently been received from local area Councillors to provide increased protection for cyclists at the junction of Hanlon’s corner. The current Bus Connects proposals for this junction will significantly improve facilities for cyclists. However, these are unlikely to be implemented before 2023. There are also plans to upgrade walking and cycling facilities at his junction and along the North Circular Road as part of the NTA’s 5-year plan. A project office is due to be formed early next year to implement the 5-year plan but at present no proposals for the immediate area have been developed. It is therefore proposed to implement some interim measures to improve facilities for cyclists ahead of these larger schemes.

This is a busy and complex junction with a variety of turning movements. It is further complicated by large volumes of traffic that emerge from Annamoe Road to the east of the junction. This report proposes advancing some of the proposals contained in the Bus Connects plans and recommends some other light interventions that can be implemented as an interim measure.

Proposed Interventions (see following drawing) includes the following:

1. Removal of the left turn slip lane from the North Circular Road (NCR) onto the Old Cabra Road (advancing a Bus Connect’s proposal). The slip lane is particularly short and is easily blocked by traffic queuing to go head straight along the NCR. It is considered that removing it will have limited impact on traffic. Closing the slip lane removes any conflict between cyclist travelling straight and left turning motorists. It also allows for the installation of a protected cycle lane on the northern side of the NCR, from Ellesmere Avenue right up to the junction with Hanlon’s Corner. It is intended to use low level bollards in this location to minimise the impact on residents along this section of the NCR.
2. Alterations to the road markings on the NCR to the west of Hanlon’s Corner to allow for the provision of a protected cycle lane on the southern side of the NCR between Hanlon’s Corner and Aughrim Street.
3. Removal of the central pedestrian island in Prussia Street (advancing a Bus Connect’s proposal). This allows for the widening and protection of the cycle lane on Prussia Street on the southern approach to Hanlon’s Corner.
4. Installation of a protected cycle lane on the northern side of the NCR, extending east from the Old Cabra Road as far as the toucan crossing on the eastern side of the MSL Motors (130m approx.)
5. Installation of a protected cycle lane on the southern side of the NCR, extending from Annamoe Road to the toucan crossing on the eastern side of the MSL Motors (90m approx.)
6. Possible indentation of the cycle lane into footpath on southside of the NCR between Annamoe Road and Prussia Street to allow for its protection right up to the junction. This will be subject to maintaining a minimum footpath width of 1.8m wide.
7. Installation of additional signage and road markings on the Old Cabra Road to increase awareness of cyclists on the approach to Hanlon’s Corner
8. Re-surfacing of the entire junction. While the Bus Connects proposals will undoubtedly require the junction to be resurfaced a request will be forwarded to the NTA for funding to resurface the junction as part of these interim works.

Possible Additional Intervention

The inbound cycle lane on the Old Cabra Road does not extend to the junction with Hanlon’s Corner but stops approximately 50 metres short of the junction. This is to allow for the provision of a dedicated right turn lane for motorists turning from the Old Cabra Road onto the North Circular Road.

The above proposals require cyclists to continue to share the carriageway with motorists in this location and provide for additional road markings and signage to highlight the presence of cyclists.

Consideration has been given to the possibility of banning the right turn from the Old Cabra Road onto the NCR to allow for a protected cycle lane to be installed right up to the junction.

However, there would be a number of impacts for residents and local businesses associated with this intervention.

The right turn ban for traffic turning from the Old Cabra Road onto the NCR will likely lead to traffic diverting at an earlier stage onto Blackhorse Avenue, resulting in increased traffic on Blackhorse Avenue and also on Glenbeigh Road.

Motorists beginning their journey between Glenbeigh Road and Hanlon’s Corner (including the Lidl car park) that intend to head west along the NCR will have to make a significant detour.

The installation of a protected cycle lane on Old Cabra Road approaching Hanlon’s Corner will remove any opportunity for Grainger’s Public House to load/unload from the Old Cabra Road.

The NTA’s Bus Connects proposals retains this right turn from the Old Cabra Road onto the NCR as there will be limited access for traffic travelling straight onto Prussia Street under their proposals. It is therefore likely that the right turn would need to be restored in the future.

Summary:

While both Bus Connects and the NTA’s 5 year plan are likely to see improvements for cyclists in the vicinity of Hanlon’s Corner in the next few years, a number of measures have been identified that could be implemented in the interim period.

The measures outlined above would provide protection for cyclists on three of the four arms of the junction with little impact on local residents or businesses. A possible additional intervention that would allow for the installation of a protected cycle lane on the Old Cabra Road is outlined. However it is not recommended to implement the additional intervention at this time due to the adverse impact it will have on local residents and businesses. Bus Connects proposes to address this issue and cycle lanes on the Old Cabra Road as part of their project.

Installation of the interventions outlined above would be subject to receiving approval and funding from the NTA.

The Councillors views are sought on how they wish to proceed.

Alec Dundon, Senior Executive Engineer

Environment & Transportation Department

Alec.Dundon@dublincity.ie