Cycling and tourism

Sir, – Leo Varadkar (Home News September 14th and Letters September 18th) wants a feasibility study done on a potential route…

Sir, – Leo Varadkar (Home News September 14th and Letters September 18th) wants a feasibility study done on a potential route for a greenway from Dublin to Galway. He will be aware of a full report on the potential of a National Cycle Network of “greenways” published by the NRA in August 2010. Page 15 said, “The next step could be to select a major route corridor (eg Dublin-Galway corridor) or a segment of the route corridor to carry out a feasibility study and route selection report.”

Two years after this report was produced by the NRA, we are going to get another report with pretty lines on maps, but no real progress on what is needed – a national cycle network being built.

John Mulligan (September 15th) and other letter writers have suggested that the canal banks and disused rail lines – already in public ownership – would give us a head start in creating a national cycle network almost immediately.

In the west, a dose of realism about the future of the Western Rail Corridor on the section north of Athenry to Collooney is needed; the failure of the new rail line from Ennis to Athenry has all but killed off any talk of further extensions north from Athenry of the Western Rail Corridor. Convert this redundant rail line to a greenway now and see the immediate impact on cycling tourism in the west; and while doing the work why not put in a fibre-optic cable network along the greenway routes?

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Mr Varadkar knows the potential of this route as a greenway; but won’t give it his public support for fear of upsetting the West on Track campaign. Convert this line to Greenway and watch the tourist money roll in.

We don’t need a feasibility study to take this action now; we have the canal banks, we have the old railways in public ownership. We just need someone with strength in government to say let’s just do it. – Yours, etc,

BRENDAN QUINN,

Enniscrone,

Co Sligo.

Sir, – Regarding Leo Varadkar’s letter (September 18th), I might add that for years now there has been never-ending talk, endless reports and countless council meetings about building a Sutton to Sandycove cycleway/ promenade along Dublin Bay. This would be of incredible social benefit. Mr Varadkar and thousands of Dubliners could cycle to work and for recreation, and with the price of petrol going up all the time, pedal power is free wheeling its way back. – Yours, etc,

DAMIAN O’REGAN,

Sion Hill,

Blackrock,

Co Dublin.