Councillors at their monthly meeting last Monday mainly voiced support for the latest Dublin City Centre Transport Plan changes, namely making Parliament Street car-free and adding bus priority measures to Westland Row.
As reported earlier this week, only buses will be allowed to turn left at the north end of Westland Row (pictured above). General traffic going northbound will have to turn right onto a new two-way section of Pearse Street east of Westland Row.
Some councillors are interpreting Westland Row as a route to continue to drive through even after council officials have repeatedly said that the main reason it is being kept open for motorists is to allow movements of taller HGV trucks which cannot fit under the bridges east of Westland Row.
The work is already underway on the Westland Road / Pearse Street change and are expected to be implemented by June, while the Parliament Street works are also to be implemented for the summer.
Cllr Michael Pidgeon (Green Party) said that the changes, especially Parliament Street, are “really, really positive”. He asked if Grattan Bridge (aka ‘Capel Street Bridge’) would remain open to traffic and how cycling would be linked between the two streets..
On Parliament Street, Brendan O’Brien, the head of the transport section of the council, said: “What we’re in essence proposing to do is in the first place to to remove some of the car traffic, to allow deliveries up to 11:00, and, as the street settles down into a new pattern, which is very closely aligned with the type of street furniture and so on that we have in Capel Street over a period of time we’ll will solidify the arrangements.”
He said that Grattan Bridge will still be open for traffic with a cycle route across it to connect both Capel Street and Parliament Street, which “in effect will give us a a route which links pretty safely from Bolton Street all on the north side all the way over to Dame Street on the south side.”
Cllr Nial Ring (independent) said: “One question on the Westland Row traffic measurement I note that private vehicles cannot turn left from Westland Row onto Pearse Street which you know that’s that’s the measure that’s being brought in but yet further down it [the report] says all of Westland Row and Pearse Street will still be accessible by all modes with a different approach.”
He said this “Suggests to me that you have to turn right at Westland Row which you can’t turn left you go up to the new two-way system on Sandwith Street so you turn right and then left and then left again onto the other end of Westland Row which is sort of bringing you around in about a probably three quarter of a kilometre detour to get to exactly the same place. And I just I’d like to know the logic of that.”
A two-way system on Sandwith Street, however, is not proposed in the reports, and it’s unclear where Cllr Ring picked up the suggestion.
Cllr Ring added: “My second question, the project team have commenced engagement with local businesses. This is being implemented, and now we’re only commencing engagement. Why didn’t we have an engagement like six months ago, a year ago, or whatever? Like it’s been imposed, and I don’t think local businesses are too happy, but the logic of sending cars on a journey that doesn’t seem to be necessary to me in terms of climate change etc just doesn’t make any logic.”
O’Brien said: “We should probably take a step back, all these measures were actually in the City Centre Transport Plan, which came out in September 2023 which went through a huge level of consultation and discussion, and so what we’re implementing really is the transport plan as set out.”
“So there was consultation, there was extensive consultation at that stage. We’ve also been doing the more localised consultation both Westland Row and Pearse Street and in Parliament Street,” he said.
This is the same approach undertaken with other projects such as Capel Street, where overall consultation first takes place and then consultation on more detailed issues, such as how exactly deliveries are made or addressing issues arising, continues afterwards.
He said: “On Parliament Street, it is our intention to conclude some of the consultation with the people in Parliament Street and to prepare a report for the May South East Area meeting which really will set out just what we’re proposing to do and again a bit like Capel Street.”
On the Westland Row / Pearse Street changes, O’Brien said: “It’s not a question that we’re trying to put long detours in for people. We’re actually trying to prioritise public transport in this area and really to make that access work.”
“We had set out in the city center transport plan clear rationale for what we were doing at Western Row which was Western Row is very much with the new [bus] spines that are coming up and down Westland Row it’s very much a public transport priority area for us now,” said O’Brien.
He said: “Some of these routes are the routes that have come out of the likes of College Green it allows us to actually be able to further the ambition of that particular project and while it would be good for us to actually take all the traffic out of Western Row we can’t do that and we have to leave that because it’s still got the only bridge that high-sided vehicles can use.”
“The reason we say that that everywhere is accessible is that Pearse Street is still accessible; Westland Row is still accessible. We’re changing one turn, but if you still need to get to anywhere on Pearse Street or you need to get to somewhere on Westland Row, you can you can still do that,” said O’Brien.
Cllr Claire Byrne (Green Party) said she welcomed the plans for Parliament Street and thinks the local businesses will be really happy with the news. She said: “It’s a real statement in the progress we have made in making the city calmer and safer, as well as reducing our emissions.”
She added: “The sky is not falling in from these traffic changes; it’s going to be hugely beneficial for the city.”
Cllr Flynn claimed: “It goes without saying that everybody wants a safer cleaner you know walkable you know movable city and certainly wants one that’s kind of active travel for all modes of transport and that there’s an equality and a democracy in terms of road space and public space.”
However, active travel is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as “methods of travel such as walking and cycling that exercise the body, rather than travelling using a vehicle with an engine such as a car.” While some transport bodies’ definitions of ‘active travel’ include scooters or mobility devices, which include limited to no level of exercise, no definitions include all modes of transport, including cars.
Cllr Flynn’s jam-packed contribution was so full of issues that IrishCycle.com has covered it in a separate article.
Cllr Danny Byrne (FG) said: “I welcome the pedestrianisation of Parliament Street; it’s a long time coming. I spoke to some of the businesses there this afternoon, and they very much welcome it.”
He said that the idea of making the street car-free has had many trials, adding: “The only criticism is this seems to be in the pipework for years, so the clear message from there today is to get on with it.”
Cllr Hazel Chu (Green Party) said that the Greens would happily take credit for safer and greener streets, which Cllr Flynn seemed to be distancing himself from. Cllr Flynn interjected that “there’ll be nobody in the city”. She said that trial pedestrianization shows that people want these measures and that it will bring more people into the city.
“If you look at the ambition that Paris has, they have changed their city massively. They have reduced emissions; they managed to completely change the mindset when it comes to people walking around their city, people enjoying their city, and that’s what we’re trying to do here,” she said.
Cllr Chu added: “We need to be leaders in his area; we can’t just keep on saying the negatives and saying what shouldn’t be done, but we need to lead, and I’m really delighted to see this happening.”
The measures are being carried out under Section 38, which allows councils to implement traffic calming, and bus and cycling priority measures.