Given the rapid growth in population in the Dunmore Road area in recent years, it is clear from experience that existing road transport strategies in the area do not include adequate facilities for cycling.
Waterford Council must prioritise the area in developing a segregated cycling route which allows cycle traffic to safely access the city centre and in particular, the significant school catchment area within 1km of the People's Park.
The current road layout and cycle facilities (sporadic painted lines indicating cycle paths and bus lanes) are not currently adequate or suitable if the ambition is to provide the significant population in the Dunmore Road area with the means to cycle safely and efficiently to the areas mentioned above.
Given the solutions and innovative options currently deployed across Europe in similar circumstances, it must be possible to use the expertise and knowledge gained to develop a suitable sustainable cycling route to the city.
Solutions could include a wide boardwalk type structure that could link to the People's Park and onward to the city from the river slipway in Ballinakill. It would be important to design such a system to facilitate safe commuter cycling, with a surface that it suitable for all year round use.
Alternative solutions based on the current road network should be informed by ambitious, timely and committed European innovations in the redistribution of transport routes which have transformed major cities.
With such commitment, this route could be a showcase for the environmentally sustainable movement of large numbers of residents in a densely populated area to education and commercial hubs in a modern, innovative Irish city.