Re-instate cycle lane protections on Manor Street, Waterford

Manor Street is a one-way street for cars heading into the city centre from the Cork Road direction. It has two cycle lanes, one to the left of the carriageway and a contraflow cycle lane on the right, to allow cyclists travel in the opposite direction to vehicular traffic. Until recently, both of these lanes had temporary plastic bollards marking them out, and separating cyclists from vehicular traffic. 

Two weeks ago, the temporary plastic bollards were removed from the Manor Street cycle lanes in Waterford by Waterford City and County Council. The Council has not published any plans for upgrading the cycle lane surface, and there are no plans for Manor Street in the Council's 2026 Active Travel plan. 

While the bollards offered limited physical protection, they made a big difference to the safety of cyclists using the lanes by clearly marking the edges of the cycle lane and creating a visual barrier. While the bollards may have been an inconvenience to some drivers who expect to be able to pull into the kerb (and even onto the footpath), they made the street somewhat safer for cyclists. 

They also helped to prevent (though not entirely) the dangerous practice of cars parking in the cycle lane and blocking it. 

Waterford Bicycle Users Group (a local group of the Irish Cycling Campaign) wants these bollards reinstated and a plan for upgrading the cycle lanes on Manor Street to be included in the 2027 active travel schemes.