A TD has hit out at a new phase of the Transport Plan for Dublin City Centre which will further reduce road space for cars. The government plan was first implemented in August 2024, despite opposition from some business city interests to have it halted.
New interventions will be implemented this year, including the installation of a two-way cycle path on Gardiner Street in the North inner city, with the number of traffic lanes there being halved.
The Irish Times also reports that the Clontarf to city centre cycle route will be extended from Amiens Street to the quays as part of the plan. A planning application for the plaza at College Green and changes to the use of loading bays are also anticipated to be made this year.
The Dublin City Centre Traders Alliance, a group which includes retailers Brown Thomas and Arnotts, has spearheaded opposition to the plan, which was strongly supported by former Green Party Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan, and all parties on the city council.
As further development of the plan was announced, Cork TD Ken O’Flynn said on Monday that he has concerns about an approach that “removes road space before the alternatives are fully in place” and risks pitting one group of road users against another.
Dublin City Council has said that the plan will reduce traffic in the city centre with an aim to prioritise public transport, walking and cycling.
“Everyone wants a cleaner, safer and more efficient Dublin. The question is not the destination. It is the sequencing,” said Deputy Ken O’Flynn.
Referring to the Dutch capital city of Utrecht, which was recently named the most bicycle-friendly city in a global ranking, the Independent Ireland TD added:
“Cities like Utrecht are often cited as the model. But Utrecht built the infrastructure first. It invested in rail, trams, multiple stations across the city and a public transport system people could rely on before road space was reduced.”
‘DUBLIN IS NOT THERE YET’
“Dublin is not there yet. Many workers, carers and small businesses still depend on the car because public transport does not consistently meet their needs, particularly outside the city core and peak corridors.”
Deputy O’Flynn further said: “I have serious concerns about an approach that removes road space before the alternatives are fully in place. That risks pitting one group of road users against another and erodes public confidence.
“If government policy is to reduce car dependency, then public transport has to come first. It must be frequent, reliable, affordable and accessible. We should also be willing to examine measures such as free public transport in the city if we are serious about changing behaviour,” he said.
“Urban policy succeeds when people are brought with it. It fails when change is imposed before the system is ready.”
The Council says the plan will draw lessons from the response to the Covid pandemic whereby low traffic volumes allowed “very ambitious changes” to be undertaken in areas such as Capel Street, Nassau Street and along the North and South Quays.
“The traffic management changes envisaged as part of this plan aim to significantly reduce volumes of car traffic in the city centre, opening up space for the sustainable modes, and significantly improving the public realm by allowing greening and the development of new public spaces for residents, workers and visitors to the city centre,” Dublin City Council has said.
In March last year, the second phase of the plan came into effect, changing the way that private vehicles can travel around parts of Dublin city centre. The measures sparked opposition from the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) who said the measures introduced were causing problems for its members, calling for an exemption for those with accessible parking permits.
Last May saw the introduction of a ban on private traffic turning left from Westland Row to Pearse Street, restricted to public transport and cyclists only. Under the change, private traffic was diverted east on to a new two-way stretch of Pearse Street, leaving the left or west turn on to Pearse Street for public transport.
In July, Parliament Street in Temple Bar was permanently closed to all traffic coming from the quays. This allowed for the installation of a two-way cycle lane on the east side of Grattan Bridge.