New Dublin traffic interventions, resulting in improvements for cyclists and a reduction in road space for cars, will be implemented this year in the next phase of the Dublin City Centre Transport Plan.
A two-way cycle path will be installed on Gardiner Street and the number of its traffic lanes will be halved. Moreover, the Clontarf to city centre cycle route will be extended from Amiens Street to the quays as part of the traffic calming plan.
The long-awaited planning application for the College Green plaza and changes to the use of loading bays are also expected to be made this year.
The 2023 plan envisaged the reallocation of road space from cars to public transport, cyclists and pedestrians, while still retaining access to the city centre and its car parks for private motorists.
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The plan did, however, aim to “remove traffic that has no destination in the city”, with 60 per cent of motorists at that time passing through rather than stopping in town.
The first phase came into force in August 2024 with a ban on private cars and commercial vehicles travelling directly east or west along the Liffey at either side of O’Connell Bridge from 7am to 7pm daily.
The measure cut congestion on the north and south quays and reduced bus journey times by approximately 30 per cent.
Last May, a ban on private traffic turning left from Westland Row into Pearse Street was introduced, with private traffic 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, with only the cross street from Essex Gate to Essex Street East remaining open to vehicles.
The move facilitated the installation of a two-way cycle lane on the east side of Grattan Bridge, giving cyclists a direct, safe link from City Hall, up Capel Street to Bolton Street – a distance of almost 1km.
The changes to date, while controversial in advance of their introduction, have resulted in “very few complaints”, says Dublin City Council head of traffic Brendan O’Brien.
“There isn’t a consistent chorus of criticism; in fact, we’re not really getting any complaints. So it seems the changes have bedded in reasonably well and they are delivering the benefits we hoped [for] in terms of bus times and the reduction in traffic.”
The next phase of the plan will involve another north-south route made safe for cyclists, with the introduction of a two-way segregated cycle path on Gardiner Street.
The new infrastructure has, in part, been made possible by the Westland Row intervention, which resulted in less traffic crossing the river from Pearse Street and Tara Street and heading up Gardiner Street.
The 1km path, from Beresford Place at the back of the Custom House to Mountjoy Square, will be built on the east side of the street, with a reduction in the number of general traffic lanes from four to two, and a dedicated bus lane, between Beresford Place and Parnell Street/Summerhill.
At the east side of the Custom House, the Clontarf to city centre cycle route, which currently ends abruptly at Connolly Station, will be extended down Amiens Street to Custom House Quay.
These measures will significantly improve the environment for cyclists, pedestrians and public transport users, says O’Brien.
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“At the moment, you have a lot of people using Busáras and Connolly who are faced with this big, wide road to get to the public transport – the Luas, the buses, the trains.
“Beresford Place is this big traffic gyratory in the heart of the city and we’re looking to start unpicking some of that to make it a lot easier to cycle, and a lot better for public transport.
“We will start by providing that two-way cycling link on Gardiner Street as well as taking the Amiens Street cycle route down to the quays, as we advance the idea of looking at the space outside the Custom House.”
The traffic plan eventually envisages a plaza either in front or to the side of the Custom House, but in advance of that the area will be improved, he says.
“At the moment, you have a lot of people using Busáras and Connolly who are faced with this big, wide road to get to the public transport – the Luas, the buses, the trains. We want to enhance bus priority there, enhance cycling provision, and make a better connection from the city out along these routes.”
On the south side of the city, an application for the long-awaited College Green plaza is being finalised.
“We hope to have the designs done for February with the idea of lodging the application in quarter two.” The council has already undertaken significant consultation on the traffic-free scheme, which now stretches from the Luas line in front of Trinity College along Dame Street to George’s Street.
“There’s a lot of enthusiasm for it, so we are conscious of trying to make sure we’ve taking into account all the various different needs of people in that area.”
O’Brien says he hopes to start construction of the plaza in 2027.
Changes to the way deliveries operate in the city are also expected this year, with technology used to free up loading bays.
“We have some ideas for the better enforcement of loading bays. At the moment, people can park for 30 minutes to load and unload, but you do have a problem where [drivers of commercial vehicles] are who aren’t loading are using them for much longer times.
“So we are looking at having an e-loading bay, where you park and you register the fact that you’re there. That is a lot more controlled, and easier to enforce, and fairer all round.”
