Why businesses are up in arms about plans to bar more cars from Dublin's city centre

A new lobby group said the rules would threaten the capital’s ‘economic viability’.

By Conor McMahon Deputy editor, Fora

BUSINESSES IN THE capital are not happy with plans to further limit cars’ access to the capital’s centre – triggered by the impending start of new Luas Cross City services.

A coalition of hotels, parking firms, concert promoters and other commercial interests have formed a group called Dublin For All in opposition to the Dublin City Council traffic plan.

The consortium – which counts Convention Centre Dublin, Live Nation Ireland, the Irish Parking Association and The Marker hotel among its members – this week called on the council to suspend the changes so it could carry out an environmental impact assessment.

With that in mind, here’s why Dublin City Council wants to make changes to traffic rules in the city centre – and why some businesses are up in arms about it:

Need for change

The multimillion-euro Luas Cross City project has been under construction for four years.

It will see 13 new stops come on stream, from Broombridge in Cabra to Dawson Street, and passengers will finally be able to transfer between the existing green and red lines.

Cross-city services are due to commence in December, but the council wants to introduce a new traffic plan in August in advance of the changes.

luas cross city Luas Cross City line (blue)
Source: Luas Cross City

Click here to view a larger version.

In a report on traffic management changes on the north and south quays, Dublin City Council said a new plan is necessary to protect the hundreds of millions of euro that has been pumped into the project.

It said traffic easing measures were required to ensure the new service is a success.

“Unlike the red and green lines, where the tram is largely segregated from all other traffic, (Luas Cross City) includes extensive sections of shared running with general traffic,” it said.

“Without significant intervention in the city centre, the Luas trams will be caught up in traffic congestion, and the new service will prove to be slow, unreliable and unable to maintain a constant headway.”

About the new measures

However, a number of traffic management changes have already been introduced in the last few years.

For example, private cars were banned from travelling through College Green and certain turns were made illegal at Dawson Street.

Nevertheless, the new measures would have a much more significant impact on current traffic flows in the city centre.

90418431_90418431 Works at O'Connell Bridge
Source: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

If the changes go ahead as planned, general traffic will no longer be permitted to travel down Eden Quay, north of the Liffey. Right-hand turns from Bachelors Walk on to O’Connell Bridge will be banned.

On the south side, the number of lanes for private vehicles travelling down Burgh, Aston and Wellington quays will be reduced from two lanes to one in order to make way for an extra bus lane.

An overall review of alternative routes throughout the city centre is ongoing.

alt routes Possible alternative routes

Click here to view a larger version.

Why businesses are not happy

Dublin For All said in a statement this week that the “economic viability” of the city centre would be under threat if the planned traffic changes go ahead. It said the new rules would close off routes to shops, hotels and car parks.

The group said that car access “remains the only viable choice for a large number of visitors to the city”.

It added that the quays represent “a critical means of access to visitors from the west of the country”, and the changes will “severely restrict access” to areas including the IFSC, 3 Arena, Bord Gais Energy Theatre and various hotels.

25999967830_b0e740704c_o Bord Gais Energy Theatre
Source: Robin Parker/Flickr

One of the main points of contention for Dublin For All is the fact that Dublin City Council hasn’t carried out an environmental impact assessment.

The council commissioned an environmental consultancy to advise on whether the assessment was needed to cover the proposed changes at Eden Quay.

The consultancy said the report wasn’t needed because “the project is unlikely to give rise to significant environmental impact”.

However, Dublin For All said it commissioned its own report – which came to the opposite conclusion.

It said the lack of an environmental impact assessment was a “serious shortcoming” and that it was “not reasonable” to merely consider the Eden Quay changes without also weighing the wider plans.

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