Cork County Council gives Green Light to Lower Harbour Greenway

At a meeting of the Cork County Council this week, Council members approved the plan for the new proposed Greenway from the Cross-River Ferry near Glenbrook to Raffeen Bridge which is on the Passage West to Carrigaline road.

22 Members voted for, 20 Members voted against and 3 abstained.

The proposed Greenway as shown below is expected to cost in the region of €3.5 million and is part of a plan to have a Greenway from Cork City all the way to Carrigaline. Please note that it is subject to government funding and will only commence once the works associated with the Lower Harbour Main Drainage project have been finished.

Let's have a look at this Greenway from a runners point of view...




A to B.....This runs from the Cross Harbour Ferry near Glenbrook to Murph's Pub to the south-west of Monkstown. This section already has a existing footpath which runners can use so any works here are unlikely to make much difference.

As you can see below, the footpath ends near Murph's Pub (B) and the road narrows after that.

End of the footpath near Murph's Pub

Road outside Murph's Pub...Beyond it, there is no footpath and there are dangerous bends

B-C...The section between C and D on the map covers from Murph's Pub to Strawhall, the road junction going to the Recycling Centre. After Murph's, there is no footpath and the road has several bends.

This section of road is really only safe for running early on a Saturday or Sunday morning. At other times, the road is very busy and it's not suitable for runners or walkers.

This section of new path will give greater access to the road by the Recycling Centre which in turn can be used as part of loop which goes back to Harty's Quay on the Rochestown Road. A number of runners use this loop already so the new path just makes it safer.

The map below shows the section between Murphs Pub and Raffeen Bridge (E) in more detail...

The proposed Greenway in Red will follow the main road from Murph's to the junction by the Recycling Centre.. From there, it will cross over Raffeen Creek to Raffeen itself.

C-D...Whatever about the section from Murph's to Strawhall, the section from Strawhall to Raffeen itself is even more dangerous for runners and walkers. As the road is so narrow, it really isn't safe.

The new Greenway will have a huge impact here and it means that people will be able to walk/run from Monkstown to Raffeen in absolute safety. This in turn also opens up the road from Raffeen to Shanbally which permits people to go even further. From Shanbally, there is a footpath all the way to Ringaskiddy.

Old railway bridge over Rafeen Creek...

View of Rafeen Creek from the road to Shanbally

D-E...The final section is from Rafeen to Raffeen Bridge. In Rafeen, it will run behind some houses and then through a wooded area along the bed of the old railway track. This is a narrow strip of woodland and could potentially be one of the nicest sections in time.

It will exit at Raffeen Bridge (E) which is a bit of a dead end from a running/walking point of view at present. However, once the M28 Motorway from Cork to Ringaskiddy is completed, the old N28 should be a lot quieter. Even this in itself, will allow more people to use the hard shoulder of this old road.

Overall......This project isn't going to happen overnight and it will probably be a good few years before we see it being completed. I'd imagine it will be some time in the 2020's rather than any time in this decade. At least the vote gets the ball rolling.

Reference...
1) Cork Council Meeting Notes on the proposed Greenway...8th May 2017
2) Passage West to Carrigaline Greenway Feasibility Study, July 2012
3) Development of Pedestrian and Cycle Greenway, Glenbrook to Raffeen, Co. Cork (Zipped File...BIG!)