New Grafton Street area pedestrianisation delayed until lockdown eased

— 95% of submissions to council supported further pedestrianisation.

Permanent pedestrianisation of a number of streets west of Grafton Street is delayed until current national COVID-19 restrictions are eased, Dublin City Council has said.

In its Covid Mobility Report for January 18, which was issued to councillors, the council said that the extra Grafton Street area pedestrianisation is delayed. It said: “Due to the current level of COVID restrictions it is not planned to implement the proposed traffic restrictions in January. The timetable for the implementation will align instead with the restrictions being eased.”

The council previously gave the following outline of the extend of pedestrianisation it was planning as follows:

  • South Anne St is pedestrianised from the Dawson Street junction. Deliveries facilitated daily between 6am and 11am.
  • Drury St is pedestrianised from after Fade Street to the underground carpark. Deliveries facilitated daily between 6am and 11am.
  • Dame Court is pedestrianised from Exchequer Street. Deliveries facilitated daily between 6am and 11am.
  • Section of South William Street pedestrianised from Exchequer St to the Brown Thomas carpark exit. Deliveries facilitated daily between 6am and 11am.

It was originally thought that more of South William Street would be pedestrianised, but the council has said that more work will need to be done at the junction of Exchequer St / South William Street / Wicklow before cars coming out of the Brown Thomas car park can be redirected to the junction.

The car park is not owned by the shop with the same name, the name is just licenced from the retailer. But any reservations from the owers is apparently not the main stumbling block and no internal changes are needed within the car park. For the short-term, cars existing the Brown Thomas car park will use nearly the full lenght of South William Street.

South William Street is also a primary cycle route in the Greater Dublin Area Cycle Network Plan, no explication has been given what cycling provision there will be on South William Street or what alternatives will be made for cycling in both directions. Drury St is also to be pedestrianised.

Artist’s impression of images displayed at Velo-City — an international cycling conference hosted in Dublin in 2019 — shows two-way cycling on South William Street and Drury Street as part of the planned Clonskeagh cycle route upgrade:

Meanwhile the council also said it was to tender for long awaited pedestrian crossings on Mountjoy Square.

The update from the council said: “Invitations to tender have been issued for Phase 1 of the proposed upgrade of the north western junction of Mountjoy Square North/Gardiner Street/Gardiner Place. The works will involve the provision of a new pedestrian crossing both on Gardiner Place, just west of Gardiner Street, and on Gardiner Street, just south of Gardiner Place.”


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