Dublin City Council has accused Sandymount residents of trying to "frustrate" a new cycleway on the seafront by bringing a case to An Bord Pleanála.

The city council has also refused the residents' demand that work be halted on the seafront cycle track pending the application to the appeals board. 

The Serpentine Avenue, Tritonville and Claremont Roads (STC) group claim that the council needs to get planning permission to introduce a two-way cycletrack on a six-month trial which would reduce car traffic to one outbound lane.

They have made an application under Section 5 of the Planning and Development Act to query the council's claim that it is exempt from planning permission. 

The city council's law agent replied that the plan is a traffic calming measure, which the council is allowed to implement under the Road and Traffic Act.

The law agent also stated that the residents' Section 5 application is "quite clearly an attempt to frustrate the Council in providing this trial of improved cycling infrastructure".

"Given the urgent need to provide improved cycling infrastructure on Strand Road and that this is a six month trial, the City Council will continue to prepare for and implement the trial, put in place monitoring of impacts and take part in the consultative forum with all interested parties".

The law agent also pointed out that there is no legal obligation to halt works while a Section 5 declaration is being sought. 

A spokesperson for the STC group said they will go ahead with their case to an Bord Pleanála.

It follows an emergency motion passed by councillors on the South East Area committee that a cycle path to be built on a boardwalk on the sea side of Strand Road instead of taking up a lane of road space.

Residents claim that closing the northbound lane would displace up to 7,500 cars a day onto residential streets.

The city council had already postponed the opening of the two-way cycle track from 15 January to early next month to allow new traffic calming measures in Sandymount village be completed first.

A public consultation on options for another stretch of cycle track on Beach Road has been extended for another week.