Dublin City Centre is set to experience ameliorated traffic restrictions next month, having originally intended for more stringent curbs on motorist access to city quays. The modifications were made to the Dublin City Centre Transport Plan launched last year, which originally had provisions for constant bus gates at Bachelors Walk and Aston Quay, confining passage to solely public transportation.
Initially, on the north side, traffic was supposed to be rerouted from the quays to Jervis Street. But the modification revealed on Monday permits motorists to continue on Bachelors Walk and make a left-hand turn onto O’Connell Street. The sole additional curb in this area is the prohibition of moving straight from Bachelors Walk onto Eden Quay, reserved exclusively for public transportation. There are existing laws that disallow private vehicles from making a right-hand turn onto O’Connell Bridge from Bachelors Walk.
On the South side, the initial scheme did not authorise motorists to move directly from Burgh Quay to Aston Quay, and there was never a plan to prohibit a right-hand turn from Burgh Quay onto O’Connell Bridge to reach O’Connell Street. A new decision, however, permits motorists from Burgh Quay to also make a right from O’Connell Bridge onto Eden Quay.
The Aston Quay regulation is also effective for traffic arriving from Westmoreland Street; only public transportation is allowed to make a left-hand turn onto Aston Quay. The Dublin City Council now made it clear that private vehicles on Westmoreland Street will be allowed to make a left-hand turn onto Fleet Street into the Temple Bar area for “deliveries and access”. This in turn will enable motorists to reach Aston Quay at Price’s Lane, making only a rather short part of the south quays (about 50m) restricted to private traffic.
Furthermore, the council has decided that all these new measures will be in effect from 7am till 7pm only.
Dublin City Council chief executive Richard Shakespeare, who views these alterations as “minor tweaks”, asserted that these changes came about after consultations with disabled persons organisations who had expressed concerns a few months ago about their capacity to reach the quays by private car.
Conclusions regarding delays to planned road modifications raised the ire of some, not because of the changes themselves, but due to the fact that Ms Higgins, the Enterprise State Minister, had involved herself and that Mr Shakespeare, the council head, could possibly postpone the blueprint as a result of ‘large enterprises’. Nevertheless, these councillors have no authority on the issue, as traffic regulation implementations fall under the council management’s jurisdiction as per the Roads Traffic Act.
An important meeting took place last week, involving prominent figures like Mr Shakespeare, Brendan O’Brien, the head of traffic at the council, and Hugh Creegan, the deputy chief of the National Transport Authority. The discussion was aimed at addressing business concerns.
Mr Shakespeare was urged on Monday to postpone the activation of the scheme from August to “March or April 2025” and to think about undertaking a financial impact analysis. The City Centre Traders Alliance has called for this study. However, a council representative on Tuesday stated that Mr Shakespeare is still waiting for this study, but will decide in the next “two-three weeks” whether to revise the implementation dates.
The measures announced on Monday, which primarily have the council undertaking standard traffic management activities to ensure the unimpeded operation of public transport, such as the Luas, should reassure traders and render any delay to the traffic changes needless. As a result of the modifications, car parks that are part of the traders’ alliance, like Arnotts or Fleet Street, won’t see any changes to their access routes. Only three structures on Aston Quay’s 50m stretch won’t have direct private vehicle access from 7am to 7pm.