Motorists who are just driving through the city centre should be pushed out to make space public space, walking, cycling and public transport, according to campaign group Dublin Commuter Coalition.
The launch of the group’s “Destination Dublin” proposal comes ahead of a highly anticipated updating of the City Centre Transport Plan, which is expected to be outlined by Dublin City Council within the next two weeks.
The group said that the council should follow cities like Ghent and Oslo which pushed through car traffic out of the city centre while still allowing car access — see the StreetFilm videos below.
“Our plan is inspired by traffic systems like those in Ghent and Oslo, cities which have large pedestrian-friendly zones in their core with vehicles directed around the city. This makes the city centre quieter, cleaner, easier to navigate and a more pleasant place to be,” said Feljin Jose, chairperson of Dublin Commuter Coalition, a sustainable transport campaign group.
Jason Cullen, a committee member of Dublin Commuter Coalition, said: “Our approach to Dublin’s central core needs to change from a place we send traffic through, to a place people travel to. By stopping private vehicle access crossing the Quays, we could create a much more attractive city centre full of pedestrian streets, public plazas and open air markets.”
“It would create a significant improvement to our air quality and noise levels making Dublin’s Core streets a much nicer place to visit, work, shop, live and spend time in,” he said.
Cullen added: “We need an ambitious plan for Dublin, and a commitment from our public representatives to see it completed if we are to stand any chance of reaching our climate reduction targets.”
More details of the group’s suggestions can be found at Dublincommuters.ie.
The problem with moving traffic it off one area is that much of it will simply go somewhere else. We need to provide realistic agreed to such traffic and take into account that much of it will be unable to use active travel measures.
Placing more park and ride facilitators linked to major rail links surely needs to be prioritised as well as bringing forward dates for opening future rail based links.
Part of the problem with for example, Gardiner St, is that it currently takes traffic from both O Connell St and Amiens St which have motor restrictions.
Hi Laura – any time restrictions on roads are mentioned, the issue of where that traffic is moved to is the first objection.
Intuitively traffic would be moved – but all the evidence says in reality, traffic doesn’t just relocate – rather it evaporates. Cian’s written about it here, well described elsewhere https://dublininquirer.com/2017/05/17/david-so-where-will-all-the-city-centre-traffic-go/