Cllr Paddy Monahan (Social Democrats) told IrishCycle.com<\/a> that what\u2019s in place \u201cis pure gaslighting from Dublin City Council.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cThere are no cycling provisions there. I cycle that route most days, and there is no provision for cyclists. They are shunted suddenly from the cycle lane with no amenities, no care, no instructions, straight into full motorised traffic and expected just to mingle. There has been no effort made for provisions for cyclists that I can see.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople using this cycle track every day to get to work in the city centre are not extremist rebels \u2014 they just want to get to town safely. The roadworks on the seafront are an anti-cycling death trap. No thought or effort has been given to accommodate cyclists or their safety while these works are taking place,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cDublin City Council talks a good game on cycling, but actions speak louder than words. Unfortunately, it seems the real attitude towards cycling in Dublin City Council is that bikes are a bit of fun, like a child\u2019s toy, but the first thing to be taken away when there\u2019s \u2018serious stuff\u2019 to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n Monahan criticised what he called vague, evasive answers from officials \u2014 including an early assurance that the lane would reopen in August \u201cif at all possible\u201d \u2014 and said an official who was due to explain the situation at a North Central area committee meeting failed to show up. \u201cNobody from Dublin City Council has yet explained the \u2018provisions\u2019 they refer to,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He also rejected the council\u2019s claim that \u201cprovisions for cyclists\u201d are in place at the works and questioned its reported finding that 50 per cent of riders are ignoring them. \u201cIf people are not following whatever bizarre instructions Dublin City Council think they\u2019ve given, well, there\u2019s a reason for that \u2013 it\u2019s self-preservation and safety,\u201d he said, adding that the situation is deterring families and children from cycling.<\/p>\n >\u00a0“Please be sound and don’t block cycle lanes,” council politely asks drivers… only to be met with barrage of “whataboutery” and anti-cycling comments<\/a><\/p>\n From Sutton to the city centre, the S2S route and the Clontarf to City Centre project form what Monahan called \u201cone of the best pieces of cycling infrastructure in the country\u201d. But, he said, \u201cas soon as any serious work needs to be done, [they] take away cycling facilities like taking away a child\u2019s toy.\u201d<\/p>\n In a May notice, the council said the works were delayed by the late departure of Brent Geese and that environmental and traffic permit restrictions required closing the cycleway.<\/p>\n \u201cWe apologise for the inconvenience to cyclists and pedestrians in this area and will endeavour to get more acceptable routes open as soon as possible,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n Dublin City Council told IrishCycle.com that \u201cdismount\u201d signs were only for those who had followed the pedestrian diversion by mistake, but when the site was visited, there was no ramp or obvious route onto the carriageway, and diversion signs could easily be misread.<\/p>\n The dispute comes after a series of controversies involving the Clontarf to City Centre route since its opening in November last year. In June, Dublin City Council faced a social media backlash after posting \u2014 and then deleting \u2014 a short video showing a busy rush hour on the new protected lane, which tinfoil hat conspiracy theorists online claimed was \u201cstaged\u201d using paid actors<\/a>. Cyclists countered that the scenes were entirely normal during commuting hours, and some posted their own footage to prove it.<\/p>\n![\"Video](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/video-cyclists-using-dublin-clontarf-city-centre-cycle-lane.jpg\" "\\"Video")
Video of cyclists using Dublin Clontarf to City Centre cycle lane (credit: Dublin City Council)<\/p>\n![\"'Cyclists](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/cyclists-please-dismount-sign-dublin.jpeg\" "\\"'Cyclists")
‘Cyclists please dismount’ sign, Dublin (credit: @donna_cooney1 on Twitter\/X)<\/p>\n