Capel Street has switched from being a hectic car-focused street to a relaxed space where people are more inclined to linger, to socialise, and to chat with each other, Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Caroline Conroy (Green) said on week of the one-year anniversary of Capel Street being car-free.
A council press release said that Cllr Conroy made her comments taking part in a community cycle from Capel Street to Ringsend Park to Pedalpalooza, the last Bike Week 2023 event in the city.
Cllr Caroline Conroy said: “I am delighted to mark today’s one year anniversary. I think we can all agree that the decision to make Capel Street traffic-free was a positive one that has worked out really well. If you walk, or cycle, down the street you can see the benefits for yourself.”
She added: “What was once a hectic, heavily trafficked street is now a much more relaxed space where people are more inclined to linger, to socialise, and to chat with each other.”
Dublin City Council said that is traffic counts show “a huge increase in pedestrians and cyclists using the street since it became traffic-free, with a significant decrease in the amount of vehicles in the local area.”
The council said: “Over the last year, 6 million pedestrians and almost 1 million cyclists have enjoyed the traffic-free Capel Street, thanks to the removal of over 2 million vehicles from the street. The impact of the car reduction extends further than Capel Street, with almost a 1 million fewer vehicles now using the north inner city area per year.”
Claire French, Senior Executive Engineer with Dublin City Council, said: “We’re thrilled that traffic-free Capel Street has been such a success. We had great support from local councillors, residents and businesses in moving this project forward and it’s really positive to see the impact that it’s had in increasing walking and cycling in the area.”
She added: “We are now moving to the next stage to improve the street and provide greening and seating. This transformation will be starting later this summer.”
...That's the end of the article. Keep scrolling if you want to the comments, but IrishCycle.com *NEEDS* readers like you to keep it that way. It only requires a small percentage of readers to give a bit each month or every year to keep IrishCycle.com's journalism open to all. Thank you.