O'Connell Street Phase 2

Kappar

I'm not sure where this should go; if there's a better place could someone please move it?

Can anyone tell me in the plans for The second phase of O'Connell Street's development are available online?

I'd also be interested to hear people's views about how they would like to see O'Connell Street Develop.

Redleslie2

Is this what you're looking for?

Kappar

Yeah, but I was rather hoping to be able to view the plans online insead of having to go somewhere to view them.

OfflerCrocGod

Kappar wrote:

I'd also be interested to hear people's views about how they would like to see O'Connell Street Develop.

Too late now but I would have liked all the old trees that were on O'Connell to have been left alone instead of being cut up and trown away

robbie1876

OfflerCrocGod wrote:

Too late now but I would have liked all the old trees that were on O'Connell to have been left alone instead of being cut up and trown away

I'm rather fond of the new square shaped trees. When the street is complete, the trees will look impressive lining both sides of the street, not just down the middle like they used to be.

SantaHoe

I liked the well grown mature trees, gives the place a bit of character... although the Bag Shop was an eye sore... it'll all be wrecked by skangers anyway, I don't know why they're bothering.

flogen

I think the street looks lovely, so far. And the trees are nice, the old ones were too, but no better IMO.

One thing that is vital to making O Connell St a decent place, is not just new paving, but dealing with the shops on the street. I'm not talking about Ann Summers, I think were all mature enough to realise what hot air that "debate" was full of. I'm talking about 2 McDonalds, 2 Burger King, Eddie Rockets, Le Pizza, Supermacs, The Bag Shop (now gone thank god), Dr Quirkeys, etc etc.
its supposed to be our "main thurofair (sp?)", and so represent a modern Ireland. the GPO and Clearys buildings are a great sign of an old Dublin, the spire, luas and new layout is a sign of a more modern city, but the shops say a lot about the kind of people living in this modern city. I know obesity is on the increase, but are we all really so into fast food that we need 7 fast food chains, along with other chippers etc on one rather small street (Grafton street is much longer, and that doesnt have as many fast food places)??
Is there any policy to review the actual businesses on the street? At the moment there is little reason for someone to go near there unless they want a quick bite and a game of Time Crisis 2. Arent they trying to make it family friendly? Maybe encouraging people to go there with cultural attractions or even somewhere you can buy something substancial

flogen

combs

Fast food shops should be banned from O'Connell St and the country entirely. They're an eyesore and a bellysore. The spire is dire too.

billy the squid

The old trees werw nicer especially at christmas when they had the lights on them.

heres to another couple of years of traffic mayhem

chewy

what ya think of quirkies redone front bit twee for me....

the prob is that it so empty the plaza bit its an architectural wasteland...

robbie1876

It appears that every shop thats not a fast food outlet is a Spar or Centra. There must be one every 30 yards on either side of O'Connell Street.

tba

What O'Connell Street, and the rest of the capital needs is more seating, benchs seats, places to sit down and relax. The plaza might not need to be used it is a space. Placing permenant stalls similar to those seen at gattan brige and the broadwalk in the centre off the plazawould increase pedestrian movement in the area.

Oh and get buses to go around O'Connell st instead of through it.

chewy

kiosk are going to look stupid just like gratten bridge, somebody had the diea of benches that come out of the ground so and then fit back in the ground at night on the plaza

idea being that it could be used for large events and not attract crowds at night, which would be nice but im sure the autorities wouldn't like that

tba

interesting idea although completely pointless. What if I want to sit there at night?

As for the kisok thing, examples are hard to cite they could be nice if done right.

Flukey

One thing that I think is a bit strange and potetially dangerous is the way the pedestrian area and the street are the same colour and pattern in front of the GPO.

chewy

yeah spoke of that before the corporation said they are not changing it... use the signed crosswalks... the spce around the spire is very narrow ! you think thre bulk out the path at that point

sceptre

Flogen and tba make rather good points. If O'Connell Street is going to be a centrepiece of Dublin kind of thing, they've really got to consider the type of store they're going to have there. Ann Summers is fine, it's just a shop that primarily sells silky knickers as far as I can see. As flogen says, at the moment O'Connell Street has Clery's and a load of chippers - why would anyone bother taking the time to shop there. And a few park benches would go a long way.

Meanwhile Flukey's totally correct on the dangerous nature of the setup in front of the GPO. People can find themselves on the main road thinking their still on the pathway. Asking for trouble is that.

tba

hence the need to remove all traffic.

It should be a street not a road

flogen

Indeed, the pathway outside the GPO is very dangerous, they're just asking for hastle there, you have to actually double take to notice where the path ends and the road starts, god help anyone with bad eyesight (worse than mine anyway!).

I dont know if removing all traffic is viable, though. I'd love it to happen, would be brilliant to have it all pedestrianised, and have café's etc in the middle of it, but the reason O Connell St is so busy is because it needs to be. If they can make alterate roads more capable of sustaining such high levels of traffic, we might be able to do that.

flogen

the_syco

SantaHoe wrote:

I liked the well grown mature trees, gives the place a bit of character... although the Bag Shop was an eye sore... it'll all be wrecked by skangers anyway, I don't know why they're bothering.

I'm surprised the Spire has no graffati on it yet :rolleyes:

Henry street has only shops, as its predestrienised, an been like that for ages (before McD's). Grafton street is kinda new (after McD's), and therefore has alot of chippies.

Flukey

Yes, I don't think it can be closed off completely. It is too important a street to do that. It has improved and when it is completely finished, it will be great. I like the Spire. I was there the day they put the last part up, and on a few other days too.

http://homepage.eircom.net/~flukey/TheSpire.htm

tba

Nice site flukey like the fluttering flags

if we only need public transport on the street then have two lanes on one side of the street, the opposite from the GPO. remove all but one area for bus stops, probably near the luas and placr all the other stops on parnell square and near trinity.

With one side of the street free it could really be populated well.

Flukey

Thanks for the complement on the site. I do think you need the traffic on both sides. People need access to the street and to push it over to one side would seem a bit imbalanced. You need a few stops along it too.

flogen

I agree that it should be made into public transport only BOTH ways, however, it might be an idea for them to enforce the law on the south bound side first. Also, there are a few roads from which regular traffic can get onto O Connell St, so itsn ot completely public transport yet.

flogen

chewy

where this is matching the cfd thread on transport but. ya have to remember if they remove the traffic off oconnell street it has to go somewhere else... thats what so silly about only clearing oconnel street for cfd

Flukey

Yes, it is an important thoroughfare. Gardiner Street and Capel Street certainly couldn't handle the additional traffic. Still, many of the worlds great streets have traffic going along them. It is a fine street and improving, even with traffic still going along it. In fact, being so wide, it might look a bit odd without traffic. I suppose traffic is part of the character of the street. Thinking of what it was like before they began the redevelopment, even with some traffic it is a much improved street. It goes with an improving city, with many fine sights as this site of mine shows:

http://homepage.eircom.net/~flukey/DublinCity.htm

carrotcake

lovin that site. reminds me of borat's!