Cycling Facilities Dail Éireann — 2026-02-12 ============================================================ Charlie McConalogue (FF), Donegal I thank Deputy Wall for raising this matter today. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this matter with Members of the House on behalf of the Minister for Transport and to provide an update on this pilot scheme in County Kildare. The Minister for Transport has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding in relation to the national cycle network. The national cycle network was published in 2024 and identified core cycling corridors around the country which, when delivered, will help increase cycling rates among residents, leisure users and tourists alike. The ambition of the national cycle network is significant. It is composed of 85 corridors connecting over 200 settlements, with a combined population of over 2.8 million people. It will provide an excellent level of connectivity nationally and help to support our commitment to reduce transport emissions by 50% by the end of the decade. For road safety reasons and cyclist comfort and confidence, the national cycle network plan emphasises the importance of physical segregation between cyclists and motorists on busier roads. The reallocation of road space on intercity and intertown roads for segregated cycle facilities is a relatively novel concept in an Irish context. For this reason, it is prudent to pilot and assess various segregation techniques in situ to inform potential use in future projects. The Moone to Timolin scheme is such a pilot. It consists of approximately 3 km of declassified national road on the R448. The width of the road offered the opportunity to trial different road separation treatments along its length. The objective of this pilot is to evaluate the effectiveness of various segregation options for potential roll-out across the wider national cycle network. The impact on cyclists, pedestrians and motorists will be considered. This pilot went through the relevant planning process in 2024, with public feedback sought following the publication of the proposed traffic calming measures by Kildare County Council. Construction works commenced in July 2025. Concerns from the local community were raised during construction. Representatives from Kildare County Council and TII met residents and the farming community in early September to hear their feedback. Arising from this meeting, certain amendments were made to the scheme where it was feasible to do so. Changes included adjusting road markings to provide better guidance and amending the transition points between separation treatments to increase visibility, as well as making greater provision for pedestrian use on a short section of the route. This engagement signalled a genuine commitment to working with the local community in delivering a safer environment for vulnerable road users. Construction works on the pilot concluded in December. Following construction, as is good practice, an independent road safety audit was carried out on the Moone to Timolin scheme. The purpose of this audit was to identify any features of the scheme that could be removed or modified to improve safety. The audit highlighted 22 features that should be changed to improve the safety of the scheme and minimise accident occurrence. These include recommendations to calm traffic, reducing the carriage width in certain areas, increasing the visibility of kerbs, as well as ensuring that the shared walk and cycle lanes are kept clear of excessive leaves and are clearly marked. Nineteen of the recommendations have been accepted by Kildare County Council. Alternatives to the remaining three recommendations have been accepted by the independent auditors. This evaluation has taken place in a timely manner and Kildare County Council has committed to addressing the recommendations. Continually improving road safety for all users is the cornerstone of infrastructure delivery. The information gleaned from the Moone to Timolin pilot will help inform the future roll-out of active travel infrastructure on the national cycle network, with the ultimate aim of connecting more people, businesses and communities in a sustainable and safe manner. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-12/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:02+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-02-12