Dublin councillors debate loss of illegal “car parking spaces” when cycle route includes adding 16 legal spaces

Dublin City councillors debated concerns about residents losing “car parking” spaces due to the planned Gracefield Road to Vernon Avenue Walking and Cycling Scheme — while the existing space used for parking is on green margins where it is illegal to park, this was not mentioned at the meeting.

The issue was debated at a meeting of the North Central Area Committee on October 21st.

A motion in the name of Cllr Barry Heneghan (independent) called on councillors to agree: “That this North Central Area Committee notes that residents of Gracefield Road and Brookwood Avenue are unhappy with the proposed number of parking bays outside residences along the route of the Gracefield Road to Vernon Avenue Walking and Cycling Scheme and calls for the inclusion of additional parking bays to be added to the scheme design that would be commensurate with current parking capacity, and that this be communicated to residents, before the project goes to the tender stage.”

An official response to the motion highlighted that the council was formalising 16 car parking spaces — it did not directly say that these spaces are currently not legal spaces. It also said that providing extra spaces would cause issues with trees and utility boxes, and that residents could apply to convert garden space to driveway space.

Officials wrote: “It is proposed to create sixteen areas that will facilitate parking along sections of the route. These will be at various locations along Gracefield Road and Brookwood Avenue. Providing additional locations for parking would be unreasonable, as it would require removal of trees and utility infrastructure.”

Speaking at the local area council meeting, Cllr Heneghan said it was really unfair to people who are elderly and families who were having people over or holding parties.

Cllr Heneghan said: “I don’t think it is really fair, I think people are not really considering mobility issues, people having a family party or anything like that.”

“Just to show my support for the residents, the amount of car spots that are being removed should be added to the scheme. It’s ridiculous for any residents who are living on the road, they want their car spots and there is space and there is area where they [the project team] could omit a tree and put in two more car spots.,” he said.

He added: “People who are having people over [to visit], people who are elderly, they need those car spots.”

Cllr Paddy Monahan (Social Democrats) said: “I strongly recommend that this motion does not pass. It needs to be reexamined; we need to have another meeting with active travel and take their views on it.”

Cllr Monahan said he had another motion, but he removed it ahead of the meeting on the request of officials from the council’s active travel team.

He said he found the wording of the motion “slightly worrying” to compel the active travel team to include more car parking without knowing the space required.

“I don’t know how many car parking spaces are being sought here — is there a number? Because if we’re going to fundamentally undermine a scheme which has been designed by the engineers, I’d like to know exactly what we are agreeing with,” he said.

He said it was “magical thinking” to think councillors could sprink magical dust to provide for everything on a project with limited street space on a street which already has a “huge number” of parking spaces.

Cllr Donna Cooney (Green Party) said that she would also not be able to support the motion.

She said the project has taken a long time, with consultations, reports, and information meetings. She raised the issue of the project losing funding.

“I’d prefer if the councillor would defer the motion and have a meeting. I don’t want this [project] any way delayed. I have some issues myself with some details I thought were compromised in terms of safety. I’m waiting for the safety report. But in no way would I delay this project because I think it is very much so needed,” said Cllr Cooney.

Cllr Cooney said that she and Cllr Monahan met with the council’s active travel team and it was claimed that any design changes could “scupper” the whole project.

Cllr Naoise Ó Muirí (Fine Gael) said some kind of compromise is needed. He said that, like fellow councillors, he also attended a local meeting where complaints about parking were made, and he said some of the issues raised were valid and others were not.

“I don’t really buy the [idea from officials] that we are going to hang the timeline over you, and if you don’t make a decision quickly, the scheme will be scuppered. I don’t buy that. The scheme is worth doing, it’s worth doing properly,” he said.

He said: “There are compromises that will have to be made and some other areas, but let’s try to get some level of agreement and support for it.

Cllr Ó Muirí added: “These schemes are controversial — rather than trying to bludgeon the whole thing through or equally just to stop it, I’d be in favour of both motions being put on the table for detailed discussion with active travel at a near-term date and see let’s see if we can get some level of common agreement on the scheme that we can put forward.”

Cllr Alison Field (Labour Party) said: “I actually agree with Barry; surely the residents should have a say on this and it should be done right from the start.”

She said it might not take long if the council looked at certain areas.

Cllr Deirdre Heney (Fianna Fáil) said that people designing schemes should put themselves in the position of the “people losing parking spaces” and “maybe go half way or whatever”. She said residents are “sharing the road space.”

It is worth repeating that the space in question is green space on the public street where it is illegal to park and where the council is planning to provide legal spaces as part of the project.

Cllr Heneghan said that he had worked as a civil engineer and was not confused as he said had been said by other councils. He said that while officials wanted to retain grass, there were environmentally friendly ways of installing parking spaces.

Chair of the local area committee, Cllr Daryl Barron (Fianna Fáil), sought and gained agreement from councillors to meet with the active travel team ahead of any motions being taken.

The section of the reply to the motion on residents seeking to change garden space to parking said: “Residents should also note the option of converting their front garden to a driveway under the standard Dublin City Council planning requirements and processes. Converting a front garden into a driveway should only be undertaken where there is sufficient space, good visibility when entering and exiting the driveway and no major obstructions such as trees. If a resident requires more information on the planning requirements for converting their driveway they can contact the DCC Planning Department at [email protected]. Furthermore DCC provides Housing Adaption Grants for people with a disability for converting a driveway.”

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