Sustainability
Douglas Land Use and Transportation Strategy (DLUTS)
DLUTS is an integrated land use, urban design and transport strategy for the Douglas Village Sustainable Transport Interventions project. It focuses on the village centre area and aims to increase the use of sustainable modes of transport including infrastructural improvements for walking, cycling and public transport.
DLUTS, which was approved by the members of Cork County Council in July 2013, encompasses Douglas Village in the centre and spreads as far as Cork International Airport and the N27 to the west and Rochestown Road/Clarke’s Hill to the east.
While the DLUTS interventions are being designed to complement each other, for ease of management Cork County Council divided Douglas Village Interventions into 14 separate work packages (WPs).
Key Details
Project name:
Douglas Land Use and Transportation Strategy (DLUTS)
Client:
Cork County Council
Location:
Douglas, Cork
Services provided:
- Civil Engineering
- Sustainable Transport
- Structural (Bridge) Engineering
- Utility designs
- Transport Assessment and Traffic Modelling
- Project Communications
- Project Management
- Health & Safety incl. PSDP
- Part 8 Planning
- Geotechnical
- Temporary Traffic Management Design
- EIA and AA Screening
- Procurement, administration and supervision of site investigation and topographical survey contracts
- Contract Administration for 4 Work Packages
- Landscaping and Public Realm
Challenge
Douglas Village is a complex urban environment with significant congestion at peak times. Striking a balance between improvements for pedestrians, cyclists and buses while limiting the impact on other road users raised a number of challenges for the project team. Each WP had its own unique challenges including:
WP1 & WP2 (Enabling works): Bridge widening
Aiming to provide improved cyclist/pedestrian linkage by widening underbridges, we had to install temporary footpath closures to manage pedestrians during construction.
WP8:Traffic calming on Old Carrigaline Road
We needed to revise the street layout to achieve a low ambient traffic speed, while making improvements for cyclists/pedestrians. Maintaining on-street parking, while introducing traffic calming measures and widening footpaths led to a number of challenges.
WP11: Douglas Community Park shared use cyclist/pedestrian route
We had to maintain safe access to Douglas Community Park during construction as we delivered cycle/pedestrian linkage.
Solution
WP1 & WP2 (Enabling Works): Bridge Widening
In order to best manage pedestrians, our team programmed work to take place during summer months when nearby schools were closed, and pedestrian movements were at their lowest. We introduced a temporary controlled pedestrian crossing to ensure cyclists/pedestrians could safely negotiate the works.
WP8:Traffic Calming on Old Carrigaline Road
We went through a number of design iterations to achieve the optimum solution. The traffic lane (1-way street) was reduced to 3.0m wide, footpath was widened to 1.8m (2.0m desirable) and a chicane was introduced. This allowed us to maintain on-street parking, reduce traffic speeds and improve cyclist/pedestrian facilities.
WP11: Douglas Community Park Shared Use Cyclist/Pedestrian Route
Construction took place between late 2015 and early 2016 when the Park was its quietest. This, and the use of additional signage, made it easier to maintain public access to the Park during construction.
Project images