Two councillors on the Central Area Committee of Dublin City Council are proposing closing a central Dublin street off — blocking walking and cycling access.
The central section of Hardwicke Street in Dublin 1 is already closed to cars and the two councillors now want it closed for walking and cycling, except for access for residents.
The Emergency Motion in the names of Councillor Ray McAdam and Councillor Christy Burke is to be mentioned at the local area committee this morning.
The motion if successful would remove walking and cycling access shortly after some councillors were complained that flats and other inner city communities were not benefiting from walking and cycling infrastructure.
The Motion states: “That the Elected Members of this Area Committee give consent for the Executive to begin the formal process to extinguish the public right of way along Hardwicke Street, thereby initiating a public consultation process with a view to ensuring that our tenants, their children and families are safer, more secure and that road safety levels along the street are greatly improved.”
IrishCycle’s images of the street were taken in 2021, sometime more recently planter boxes have been placed on the pathway.
The meeting is webcasted from 10am at dublincity.public-i.tv.
What problem are they trying to solve?
How will pedestrians and cyclists be blocked in such a way as to allow residents access? Locked gates?
(Nearby Hardwicke Lane looks like a very different story – a grubby, narrow, intimidating laneway)
Looking at it on google maps could be so they can reconfigure and expand the amount of car parking spaces there without having to allow for a through footpath. Basically turn it into a big car park.
Maybe they should really just build a decent multi-storey car park. A lot of precious inner city space is wasted on road car parking.
I wonder have residents requested it if its due to an antisocial issue which is normally the reason for creating a cul de sac and removing non local access
I use this route to work. Alternative to a narrow unsafe section of Dorset St. Not at all happy
This is nonsense…. I walk this just about everyday so do most walking to work etc in that area.. they’d be better cleaning up the constant dog mess scattered throughout that section & bikes are no issue here.. just a distraction from the real issues.. & it’s resident Parking can’t imagine it becoming a ‘Gated Community’