Green light for car ban in heart of the capital


Tuesday May 12 2009

A BAN on cars in the heart of Dublin's city centre at peak times was given the go-ahead last night.

The severe car curbs will mean private traffic will not be allowed in the College Green area between 7am to 10am and 4pm to 7pm from Monday to Friday.

Dublin city councillors voted 15 to 12 in favour of the plans to introduce the 'bus gate'. The vote came amid warnings from business representative groups that the ban will have severe implications for the economy in the capital with one estimate predicting 2,500 job losses and €200m in lost revenue.

The measure is part of a city centre transport plan and is being brought in to accommodate the construction of Metro North and the Metro BX Interconnector.

It is expected that the plan will be put into effect by the summer. Transport Minister Noel Dempsey has already signalled that he wants the car-free zone to be in place by July.

During a debate in City Hall last night, some councillors said the move was premature in the current economic environment and would have a negative impact on local business.

Labour's Paddy Bourke said there should have been more consultation with "stakeholders" who would be affected.

Cllr Ruairi McGinley (Fine Gael) said business in the city centre is "fragile" and a cautious approach should be taken.

However, Labour's Andrew Montague said buses would be able to bring in five times as many shoppers into the city as cars could.

Cllr Deirdre Heney (Fianna Fail) said if the council did not agree on the plan, a congestion charge could come into effect.

Brendan O'Brien, senior executive traffic engineer with the council, said pollution would be decreased as a result and the action would divert a very small portion of traffic.

The measures will ban private traffic from Dame Street to Westmoreland Street and in the opposite direction from D'Olier Street to Dame Street.

A statement from Dublin City Council after the meeting said commuter traffic would be rerouted as a result and there will be new arrangements to access some car parks. A public information campaign will take place prior to the changes.

Access

"Access to the city for public transport users will be significantly eased. Ready access to all of the city centre and its car parks will be maintained at all times and car-borne shoppers and business traffic will continue to be facilitated," said the statement.

After the decision, the president of the Dublin City Business Association said he accepted the decision and said he was reassured by a commitment from the Transport 21 committee that new signage would be introduced.

"The most important thing is that Dublin will remain fully open for business between 10am and 4pm and Saturdays and Sundays no change," said David McCormick.

The change will also involve wider footpaths and extra crossing points for pedestrians. An independent body is to review the scheme after the first six months of operation.

- Shane Hickey

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/images/2009/0330/227349_1.jpg


And so it is. I like the idea of widening the footpaths and creating a better civic scene but the banning of cars is a bit strange to me considering most of the traffic problems are created by buses in that area.

The term "car ban" is a very liberal use of that term. It's only between 7am-10am and 4pm-7pm Monday to Friday and even then on one street. Diversions will be put in place and all city centre car parks will remain accessable.

Cars aren't being banned, just moved elsewhere; Grafton Street is a better example of a street with a "car ban" (and as far as I know there's still plenty of trade there).

I wonder if this will be like the Luas; I mean the city centre traders got that one so right. :nuts:

The term "car ban" is a very liberal use of that term. It's only between 7am-10am and 4pm-7pm Monday to Friday and even then on one street. Diversions will be put in place and all city centre car parks will remain accessable.

Cars aren't being banned, just moved elsewhere; Grafton Street is a better example of a street with a "car ban" (and as far as I know there's still plenty of trade there).

I wonder if this will be like the Luas; I mean the city centre traders got that one so right. :nuts:
Yep the article is exaggerating. It's not a "car ban in the heart of the city" - it's one street and only for a few hours each day.

Odlum, remember that during those hours, most cars are passing through the area, getting to/from work, no one is shopping.

This is perhaps a good idea. Well it seems so as its always this not right who almost misses a speeding audi from blackrock outside trinity.............

But honest its no big deal. Pretty much every country in europe has at least one city that has partial car bans from their streets....................

In principal I think it's great!..........in principle....I don't always think it is a good idea to ban cars just for the hell of it though. If it leads to a new civic atmosphere and physical doing up of the area then it's a good idea. If it's just Green car hating politicians then im not so sure.

In principal I think it's great!..........in principle....I don't always think it is a good idea to ban cars just for the hell of it though. If it leads to a new civic atmosphere and physical doing up of the area then it's a good idea. If it's just Green car hating politicians then im not so sure.
It has broad support from the city council and let's be honest the Greens haven't done much for the country so far.

It will undoubtedly improve the atmosphere, if we follow through and eventually make it a 24h ban and extend it to other streets.

This is madness. Driving around Dublin is hard enough as it is with the st Stephen's green one way system and the rest of it. You have to drive around in a circle about a hundred times to get from south to north lol! And traffic is appalling. They should be aiming to improve traffic flow not by simply banning cars when there is the most traffic. :ohno:

This is madness. Driving around Dublin is hard enough as it is with the st Stephen's green one way system and the rest of it. You have to drive around in a circle about a hundred times to get from south to north lol! And traffic is appalling. They should be aiming to improve traffic flow not by simply banning cars when there is the most traffic. :ohno:
Nonsense. You aren't supposed to be driving in the centre of Dublin. The sooner people get used to this, the better. The idea that the goal is to "improve traffic flow" went out decades ago. Nowadays, in city centre areas, the goal is to prevent traffic from occurring in the first place.

I'm actually a bit annoyed by this ban because I think it doesn't go nearly far enough. When the metro is complete, we should be looking at a 24h ban (including weekends) for not only this area, but the whole inner city generally.

College Green rush hour car ban confirmed
Tuesday, 30 June 2009 17:35
Dublin City Council has confirmed that no private cars will be allowed in the College Green area during rush hour from 27 July

The ban will operate from 7am to 10am and from 4pm to 7pm from Monday to Friday

Only buses, taxis and cyclists will be allowed to travel through College Green at these times.

AdvertisementThe council has promised an information campaign to advise motorists of the so called 'bus gate'.

It says motorists will still have access to all city centre car parks.

www.rte.ie

If they are going to have it why don't they just have it operating all day?

If they are going to have it why don't they just have it operating all day?

Because the city council didn't vote for that, as shown in the story you initially posted.

Hopefully they'll change it to 24 hours after it's a roaring success - once again showing the short-sightedness of the city "traders". :cheers:

I wonder if this is an early softening up plan to get people used to disruption in that area for when they start people the City Centre Luas linkup? The area in front of Trinity at the Dame Street/Westmorland Street junction is going to be one of the biggest effected areas.

I wonder if this is an early softening up plan to get people used to disruption in that area for when they start people the City Centre Luas linkup? The area in front of Trinity at the Dame Street/Westmorland Street junction is going to be one of the biggest effected areas.

No, Luas link up has been long fingered. Metro North is priority.

If/when MN goes ahead, Westmoreland St will be closed for several years for construction of huge O'Connell Bridge Station. The only way to keep reasonable movement possible is to prioritise Buses through this bottleneck.

The traffic consequences of Metro North will be unreal - but does closing off College Green help the situation? Really?

No, Luas link up has been long fingered. Metro North is priority.

If/when MN goes ahead, Westmoreland St will be closed for several years for construction of huge O'Connell Bridge Station. The only way to keep reasonable movement -of travelling public - possible is to prioritise Buses through this bottleneck.


123456

Motorists warned to plan route ahead of city centre car ban

By Paul Melia


Tuesday July 21 2009

MOTORISTS have been warned to plan ahead to avoid traffic chaos when private cars are banned from one of Dublin's busiest streets during rush hour.

Traffic chiefs believe re-routing drivers away from College Green from next Monday will open up the city for more business.

Some 60 million public transport passengers pass through the bottleneck each year, skirting Trinity College and linking Dame Street and Westmoreland Street.

Alternative

Up to 7,000 drivers a day will have to find an alternative route as only buses, taxis and bicycles will be allowed through College Green between 7am and 10am and 4pm and 7pm, Monday to Friday.

The change will see bus journeys reduced by up to 30 minutes, and the city council says the ban will cut traffic congestion, delays and safety issues for pedestrians, which are a "recognised problem" there.

"It is an unsustainable and unsatisfactory position for all its users, be they bus passengers, taxis, cars, pedestrians and cyclists," Tim Brick from the city council said yesterday.

"The benefits of the measure will be reliable, quicker journey times for public transport users, safer pedestrian movements and better access for commuters, shoppers and essential business traffic.

"The key message here is that Dublin city will remain open and accessible to the greatest number of people. The College Green scheme is a measure that had to happen."

More than 4,300 Dublin Bus vehicles pass through the bottleneck every year, carrying 10 times the number of people travelling by private car. Dublin City Council says that 12,883 cars use the College Green route each day, with almost 7,000 of these travelling at peak times.

Signage

Temporary electronic signage will be in place to direct drivers around the capital and satellite navigation systems will be updated. Access to car parks will be maintained, but routes to some will be altered.

Dublin traffic corps Superintendent Frank Clerkin said motorists had a week to pick alternative routes, which are available at www.transportfordublin.ie. Breaking the ban will incur an on-the-spot fine of €60, which, if left unpaid, rises to €90.

"For the first number of days the gardai will use a certain amount of discretion, but that's not to say they won't be enforcing the bus lane regulations," Supt Clerkin warned.

- Paul Melia

www.Independent.ie

Here we go.....

Monday, July 27, 2009

Anger over 'butchery' of paving in city centre

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/images/2009/0727/1224251384735_1.jpg





FRANK McDONALD and TIM O'BRIEN


DUBLIN CITY Council has been accused of destroying historic and “outstandingly beautiful” granite footpaths around College Green in preparation for today’s introduction of the bus gate scheme.



Graham Hickey, of Dublin Civic Trust, said it was “frustrating to see one of the few oases of sophistication and good craftsmanship in the city centre, that was entirely self-maintaining year round, with a timeless, hard-wearing charm, being so crudely butchered”.

Original granite paving outside the Bank of Ireland had been “gouged out” to insert fawn-coloured stud tiles, hand-cut setts in front of its entrance gates were sliced through with a circular saw and curved Irish granite paving stones had been replaced or infilled with Chinese granite.

Mr Hickey said more respect should have been shown to the “outstandingly beautiful” rust-toned granite setts flanked at either side by historic granite paving, which comprised “the very best modern-day paving composition anywhere in Dublin city centre”.

Instead, it had been “ruined by a quick-fix engineering job”. He also queried how the insertion of “preposterous little scraps of crossing stud tiles” in the pavement could possibly aid the visually impaired. “This is health and safety or mobility correctness gone crazy”.

Mr Hickey noted that, although fawn-coloured tiles had been used outside the Bank of Ireland, the more standard red-coloured tiles had been cut into the granite paving outside Trinity College. This showed that there was “absolutely no co-ordination”.

“You’d think for such a flagship contract, involving the ceremonial and historic heart of the city and encompassing a number of challenging conservation requirements, that a masterplan of some kind would be drawn up”, he said. But this wasn’t done.

Seán Smith, Transport 21 communications manager with Dublin City Council, said the “disability improvements” carried out in College Green were a statutory requirement. “The quality of the work was monitored and checked and we’re satisfied with the finish on it”.

The College Green bus corridor will operate between the hours of 7am to 10am and 4pm to 7pm Monday to Friday, restricting access to public transport vehicles and bicycles.

Coinciding with the introduction of the so-called Bus Gate, Dublin Bus has earmarked a city centre zone from Parnell Square to St Stephen’s Green, and from Connolly Station to Parliament Street where fares will be 50 cent.

Motorists approaching the area from Dame Street will be forced to make a U-turn at the taxi rank outside the Bank of Ireland while those approaching from D’Olier Street will be redirected up Westmoreland Street towards O’Connell Bridge.

Extra gardaí will be at the site this morning and evening. U2 concert-goers are advised to avoid College Green this evening as they make their way to Croke Park.

Motorists who drive through the corridor during peak times face a €60 fine increasing to €90 if not paid within 28 days. Gardaí will exercise “discretion and caution” for the first three days.

The AA has listed alternative routes across the Liffey, which may be useful for concert-goers. They include: East Link, East Wall, Tara St, Winetavern St (Christchurch), Bridge St, Church St Bridge, James Joyce Bridge and St John’s Rd (Heuston Station).

www.Irishtimes.com