Dublin City Council is to open up Custom House Quay to non-traffic uses from 11am to 4pm on Car Free Day 2024, Sunday, September 22nd.
Making the street at the front or part of the west side of the Custom House into a public space is part of the Dublin City Centre Transport Plan, and the reduction of traffic on the quays after the implementation of the bus gates at O’Connell Street will make it easier to do.
Making the measure permanent is planned later in the plan’s rollout, but the one-day event should give people a taste of what could be.
Dublin City Council said: “On Sunday the 22nd of September, Custom House Quay will go car-free as part of European Mobility Week, which runs from the 16th to the 22nd of September 2024. From 11am to 4pm, Custom House Quay will be closed to motorised traffic to demonstrate the environmental and health benefits of a more sustainable urban mobility culture.”
“The theme of this year’s European Mobility Week is ‘Shared Public Space’, which focuses on designated spaces for citizens to congregate and share their environment. With 70% of Europeans living in urban areas, it is important to cultivate these spaces within our urban environments,” the council said.
It said that the event is free, aimed at the whole family, and will include lots of fun activities, including bicycle and e-bike trials, cargo bike demos, cycling workshops for children, and a live BMX stunt show.
There will also be outdoor short film screenings, a public Chess Challenge, walking tours of the campshires along the north quays, and the Custom House Visitor Centre will be open.
Only in Ireland can be have a mobility week where the initiative is to have 5 hours of car-free space on 100 metres of road. Why on Earth not set it for the entire week and see what the results are? How is it other cities can do car-free for entire areas, yet we do the least impactful token observance.
Shame.
I first proposed this in 2012 and was told that it was absolutely impossible. Delighted to see the impossible now possible. It is a start. In my view it should be 24 hour 7 days a week. Perfectly possible to go around Beresford Place.