A temporary Liffey cycle route is being proposed for Dublin's quays at a cost of €800,000 pending design of a permanent structure.
In a report to councillors Dublin City Council Chief Executive Owen Keegan said a permanent Liffey cycle route would not be completed before 2024.
In the meantime, the council is proposing to use plastic bollards called 'Orcas' to segregate sections of the quays for cyclists. These are currently used on Leeson Street near the junction with St Stephen's Green.
However some parts of the quays cannot be segregated because of the lack of space and on these sections cyclists will have to share with buses on road space which will become 24 /7 bus and cycle lanes.
Mr Keegan said car parking spaces, loading bays and taxi ranks may be removed to allow the trial cycle lanes.
The latest design for the Liffey cycle route involves two separate tracks - one running west/east on the north quays and another east/west on the south quays.
However, Mr Keegan said a trial cycle route could not be made continuous as this would have required cars to be banned from the quays as the road narrows at certain points.
When the permanent route is built, footpaths will be used for the cycleway and boardwalks will then be put in place for pedestrians.
This is planned for the entire section from O'Connell Bridge to Wood Quay and on Wellington Quay on the south bank and on Ellis Quay on the north.
For the trial facility it will also not be possible to provide a two metre wide temporary cycle track on all sections - in some parts it will be only one metre.
These trial measures could be in place by August if councillors agree at the monthly meeting on Monday.
The cyclist group I Bike Dublin issued a statement welcoming the plan but expressing regret that the trial track will be as narrow as one metre, which they described as "wholly inadequate".
The group also said it is regrettable that the cycleway cannot be continuous because access is required for car parks and that conflict will remain between cyclists and bus stops.
