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| We met at the Redezvous point on Portobello Bridge Rathmines at 11am,There was a stiff cold breeze unlike the Forecast. |
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| There was four of us when we set off at 11.05am |
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| The Grand Canal Cycleway at Clondalkin |
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| The old Mill at Adamstown on Newcastle Road. and end of the Paved Cycleway.We tried going up the right Bank but it was rough with Puddles of Water and Hard Core Builders Gravel on the Trail. We decided to go on the main Road. I did not like the idea of Changing a Wheel in the advent of a Puncture too cold out. |
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| We got to Newcastle Village but did not know how to get to Oughterard,so one of us decided to Photograph the Map so we could look at it afterwards |
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| Oh yes must look at my GPS Google Map thingy to see where the Hell Oughterard is,those other two Idiots are lost. |
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| Hmm yes now if I can set the Close Focusing setting on me Camera I'll be flying. |
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| The Map with you are here Newcastle in blue rectangle and below Oughterard in blue Circles.. |
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| Dogs chasing a Stick on Grand Canal on way back Home. |
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| Trying to get through the opening for Bikes in the Anti Social Behaviour Gates on the Grand Canal. |
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| Oh me left Foot is stuck in this blankety blank gate.Getting my foot stuck but you get used to it after awhile. |
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| Tramway at Inchcore,Suir Road. |
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| Portobello Rathmines this Building was the former Portobello Canal Hotel now a College and end of trip. |
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| Statue of Patrick Kavanagh the writer d1967 who loved to sit here and think up Novels to write. |
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| Leeson Street Bridge . |
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| Gallery Quay,Hanover Quay,lots of nice Resaturants along here and plenty of Bicycles. |
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| Sam Becket Bridge, back Home to the Nth Side. |
We set off on Saturday morning from Portobello Bridge in Rathmines at 11.am on a trip to Arthur Guinness final resting place in Oughterard near Castlewarden not far from the Naas Road in Kildare. There is a very odd fact about Ireland in that various places sometimes use the same names,there is Oughterard in Galway and also Oughterard in Kildare and possibly a few other places. There was a stiff cold breeze when we set off and some of us was feeling the cold just after we left. We headed off along the Canal Road until we got to Sallys Bridge and then went along the Canal Path as it is so much nicer. We then got to the Naas Road at Inchcore and were able to go on the new paved Cycleway which is very pleasant to Cycle on.
After going past Ballyfermot and then Clondalkin we eventually got to the end of the paved section of the Grand Canal at Adamstown Lucan.One Girl decided to go Home as she had something to do and decided it would be later than she thought on us getting back to Dublin.Then we decided to go on the right Bank of the unpaved section of Canal as far as Newcastle direction. But having gone only 200metres we discovered it consisted of hard core gravel and plenty of mud with puddles of water. I decided it was a bad idea,I did not fancy the idea of Punctures and changing Inner Tubes especially as it was too cold and someone might fall off their Bikes and get injured. So we headed off to Peamount ant then Newcastle on the Public road instead.
We got to Newcastle but we were not sure where Oughterard was so we looked at a map and took a Picture of it. Myself and our Girl companion looked at our Google Map GPS on our Mobile Phones then we set off. We started going up a deceptive Hilly road ,it looked a gentle slope but got steeper and longer the further we went. I just got tired and had to walk but the other two went up the Hill like Goats. We were a fair height up and a nice view in the distance. It was great going down the other side of the hill through rolling countryside. The road levelled out and we kept going then I seen a main Road on a Hill ahead with Traffic shooting past. I said to the others it must be the Naas Road and Castlewarden. Where is Oughterard we said, at this stage we were feeling the cold and some of us just wanted to get Home. So we decided if we seen a sign for Oughterard we would have a look at the great mans Grave before heading Home. We reached Newcastle without seeing any sign so headed off back along to the Canal at Adamstown. I eventually left one of them at Harolds Cross Bridge then the other person at Portobello and went on the New Cycleway to Sam Becket Bridge on the Liffey then crossed to the Nth side of the City to head Home.
It was a very pleasant trip with good company with much jokes and Hilarity. A cold stiff Breeze on the way out but was grand on the way back and we flew along on our Bicycles.
Total Estimated distance to Castlewarden about 31 KM. Total Distance there and back Home 72km.
Looked like quite an enjoyable ride.
ReplyDeleteReally like the picture with the tram. Although I don't live in Toronto, their is a huge battle I've been following between the current pro-car mayor who wants to build subways to free up road space for cars, while opposition who are in favour of trams.
Quite amusing to see the mayor crying like a child because he is losing!
Those gates seem ridiculous and quite dangerous. Without any sort of reflector on them, people cycling at night could slam into them.
We have polls in place to slow cyclists down at areas near roads, but they are still wide enough you can ride through at a regular pace.
Hi Ryan,the Trams are great because they provide public transport but also narrow the roads and so slow the Motor traffic down. On nearly all of the Tramway motor Traffic cannot drive on,and the part that they can is only allowed for access to certain Buildings. So if they attempt to drive on a little section they have to be very careful and cautious of Trams either going up or down on a two way Tramway and drive very slowly.
ReplyDeleteThose gates were worse than this with a sliding gate called a Kissing Gate,this is an improvement. They had to put in these 20foot wide Metal Gates because of all the anti social behaviour on the Canal. Lots of Cars and Motorbikes being driven by Joyriders and also People who keep Horses in their areas in Fields and Gardens who bring them on the Canals. The gates are mostly at Bridges at entrances to the Canal but there are some at regular intervals unfortunately.This Cycleway is lit at night and their is CCTV and Loudspeakers to warn People from Vandalism. We heard them warning a few Children who started messing with sticks in the water. Over a year ago when they renovated the Canal with a new Cycleway and put in the CCTV they were not really tending the CCTV much and a lot of stuff was happening like People burning old Mattresses and Drinking at night. There is a problem in the evening time on certain areas where the Housing Estates are with anti social stuf going on.
The positive side effects you listed with trams are the same things used by the mayor in Toronto and other pro-car advocates. They are constantly complaining about them slowing motorists down.
ReplyDeleteCurrently Toronto has street cars which go down regular road ways shared with cars, however the planned trams will go two-ways down the middle on a separate roadway, with two lanes in each direction on either side of the trams for cars/trucks (plus painted-line bike lanes).
Our petrol Prime Minister (use to work for an oil company) weighed in on the issue last week saying; "When I take public transit I like to be underground. When I drive my car I don't like running into street cars."
Of course I could spend hours talking about "our" Prime Minister and the fraud, corruption, draconian bills that have and will pass as well as wasteful spending (ie. more prisons despite lower crime rates). He actually makes George W. Bush likeable.
CCTV is still something fairly new to us over here (on the streets at least). Toronto put them in for the G20 a few years ago and were going to remove them after, but ended up keeping them (despite many people not wanting them).
My city has plans on putting them in our downtown. Some have suggested having the ones that are monitored 24/7 with speakers.
Most vandalism here (at least in my city) is caused by middle to upper class University students who stagger home drunk.
WE have CCTV on the main Roads into the City to watch for Traffic holdups and crashes. There are also CCTV on our Shopping Streets also inside and outside Department Stores and of course Banks but no Loudspeakers as yet unlike the UK. The Grand Canal on this renovated section between Inchicore and Adamstown Lucan has CCTV and Loudspeakers because this alwas was a notorious area for Anti Social behaviour. The same thing happens on the Nth side on the Royal Canal,Drinking Alcohol,Burning stuff,Joy Riding,also Horse Riding by Teenagers who keep these Horses in their Gardens.
ReplyDeleteOver here in Dublin they wanted to put in a Metro but this is mostly put on hold due to cost if ever it will be built. But there is a greater chance for more Trams as this is cheaper and they are extending bits of it.
Cities cannot sustain more and more Cars,the more M WAYS they put in and widen the Roads the more anti social it is for the Residents of the Cities and Towns and it just cancels itself out after awhile as more cars appear. Also the high cost of Fuel which has to be imported,this money is not going into the local Economy but abroad . So it is obvious more effort is needed to cut down on motorised Transport. The City Councils in Europe recognise this and are trying to cut down on the Cars on the road.
Cost is a main reason many are against subways in Toronto. The mayor who is very right-wing, said he'd have the private sector come up with money during the election, however not a penny has been raised by the private sector yet.
ReplyDeleteHe even has his own radio show now on what use to be a more centrist radio station, that has become a very right-winged station pushing Conservative ideals.
Here is a quote of what he said today:
"I'm not going to be putting in any more bike lanes, that's for sure."
Of course he spent the entire first hour promoting and having people phone in to support subways and "stopping the war on cars" only.
In Ottawa, businesses are mounting pressure to have a separated bike lane removed. In my city a couple of years ago, a major Canadian retailer successfully had a bike lane removed.
Canada is far from the country it use to be. Oil money has gone to peoples head here as many are becoming too arrogant.
Over here the only People with Money are the Cyclists only the Shops do not realise this or else they want it both ways. They want the Cyclists as well as the Wealthy out of Towners in their SUVs 4+4s and Mercedes. There is a constant Battle going on with various Politicians and Business on one side who do not want improvements and the Cyclists Pedestrians Ecologists and Politicians who are pro Cyclists and Public Transport. Just because some Minister is from the Labour Party does not mean they are pro Cycling,a lot of them are pro Motoring and versa visa for the right.
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad businesses continue to believe motorists are their only customers.
ReplyDeleteI remember when a bike lane was being put in in Toronto and businesses went crazy in protest. A survey found that over 70% of the business the stores receive on this street were people who walked or cycled.
In Dublin a lot of the People who are Customers are locals who never had cars and also Suburbanites who do not have them. Then there are the Wealthy People who Shop in the Snobby Department Stores on Grafton Street and these are the ones with the big Cars. These Shops also have Multi Storey Carparks.
ReplyDeleteBut most of those shops Customers are the ordinary Working Class who might not afford the Louis Vuitton Bags or Gucci Suits,but buy most of the ordinary stuff they sell and for the most part do not own cars.