DUBLIN SHOULD GET its own version of the Wild Atlantic Way to encourage tourism in less popular parts of the city, a Fianna Fáil politician has said.
Local election candidate Eoin Neylon has proposed a new cycling route that runs through the south-west of the city.
The plan, which Neylon calls The West Dublin Historical Cycle Route, would run from the Phoenix Park through Kilmainham, into Inchicore, Drimnagh and Walkinstown before looping back towards Christ Church Cathedral, and would be a way to increase visitors to tourist attractions in the west Dublin area which are currently under-visited.
He said the project will require “outside the box thinking” from those elected in May.
“It’s an issue that needs to be driven primarily by the City Council in conjunction with the NTA,” he said.
Neylon said that many tourist attractions in the West Dublin area go under-visited. The Grand Canal, for example, “is a great but underutilised amenity that we have,” he said.
Based on the success of the Wild Atlantic Way, Neylon’s plan aims to draw more attention to the “non-traditional tourist sites”.
“We very much don’t get a slice of the pie when it comes to that, despite the fact that we’ve some great sites to be seen.”
The initiative aims to spread the wealth of tourism that Dublin already sees every year out to less visited areas. He wants to see “pride of place” brought back into these communities.
He said the initiative will not only be beneficial for promoting cycling in Ireland but also for small businesses in these areas.
It aims to increase and spread the €2 billion that almost six million tourists that visit Dublin every year already bring in. Neylon hopes for the intake to be spread more evenly and for a boost job creation in areas such as Inchicore and Drimnagh.
Some concerns are expected, said Neylon, mainly from pedestrians. “Cyclists, pedestrians, and motors can cohabit the roads quite easily if the right infrastructure is in place.”
“We’re well aware that we’re far behind global norms of the number of people cycling to and from work.”
He said this is down to how far behind the cycling infrastructure in the city is. Neylon said that the infrastructure for the West Dublin Historical Cycle Route could be completed in as little as two years if all goes well.
Fáilte Ireland had not responded to a request for comment by the time of publication.
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