Residents of Deansgrange are furious after a decision was made to replace the parking spaces outside their homes with a cycle lane.
Frustrated by what they say is the “huge inconvenience”, locals have also expressed concern for the welfare of elderly and special needs residents in the area.
The decision was made as part of Government policy to create cycle lanes across the country.
Local woman Lisa Heavey told Gript that while the residents do not object to cycle lanes in principle, they do not agree to them in circumstances where they cause a ‘negative impact on quality of life’.
Locals say that Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council are proposing to convert the area of road to two way traffic and two way cycle lanes meaning that the parking spaces used by residents must be removed.
Heavey says that no alternative parking has been provided and that people in the area are frustrated by the lack of response shown by local representatives, and the annoyance the decision has caused.
She says proposals had been made to put the cycle lane through the neighbouring Deansgrange cemetery but that this had been met with opposition from both residents and local representatives.
“The graveyard is a place of solitude and respect,” she said, expressing why objections had been made.
She says a subsequent one way system proposal was also ‘shot down’ leading the council to propose the two way motor and cycle lane system.
Heavey says this is when the council decided to “totally remove” the parking spaces directly in front of the terraced houses.
After she approached local councillors, Heavey says she was told that they were unaware that the council intended to remove all the parking spaces and had been under the impression that only 6 or 7 would be removed.
Heavey says she feels that local councillors have ‘very little power’ as she feels that the decision has already been made.
She says this means that a number of disabled parking spaces are also to be removed with no alternatives provided in the plans.
“There was no consultation with any of the residents that this was going to upset,” she said, adding that they had only learned of the decision after an eight week period where they might have lodged objections had expired.
Heavey says that she did not receive a reply to her correspondence with the council executive, but that other residents who were responded to managed to arrange a meeting where after some deliberation only four of the approximately thirty objectors were permitted to attend.
She says the remainder of the residents were only given the option to observe the meeting over video stream, but could not participate in the conversation.
Speaking on the impact of the decision she said it would “directly impact” on the “quality of life” of the local people.
Heavey said that a proposal was made to open up a road behind the terraced houses to allow access to the area but that this was unsuitable as it could leave many residents of the north terrace with no choice but to walk a considerable distance after parking their cars in order to access their homes.
“It’s not viable for elderly residents,” she said, adding “It’s over a kilometre,”
She said that residents had erected signs in their front gardens expressing their frustrations with the situation.
“As far as the council executive are concerned the decision is made, it’s going ahead,” she said.
“The residents are an afterthought,”
“It’s government policy to introduce cycle lanes across the country,” she said adding, “but it’s not government policy to remove residential parking spaces,”
“It is being fought,” she said, adding that residents have no assurances that the council won’t ‘start ripping up the car parking spaces next month’.
“Where are these elderly people and these young families going to park their cars?” she asked.
Gript contacted Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council asking for comment on the issues raised and are waiting for a response.