Dun Laoighre redevelopment

RandomName2

If you know Dun Laoighre you might remember that there was a huge fuss made about pedestrianising the main street. This meant several months of serious construction, massive public costs and a significant impact on local businesses.

This was not supported by locals as the road infrastructure wasn't really designed for a massive influx of traffic to the subsidiary roads (and lanes). It disrupted the bus routes. It made loading more difficult and traffic navigation more difficult. In the years that followed after prolonged pressure it has had to allow traffic (one way) and buses, because anything else just didn't make much sense.

However, it achieved its goal of making the street more pretty through the laying of cobblestones (which was part of the crazy length of time and cost it took to implement).

Today they are removing the cobblestones. :eek:

The main street is closed now as the cobblestones that were not asked for in the first place, that took a fortune to install, are now being removed with tax-payers' money whilst the local hospital desperately needs increased funding (the A&E department is essentially gone).

This is just part of a general trend of mismanagement and corruption concerning planning, spending and public representation that I know has taken root in Dublin, and I can only assume is prevalent throughout the country.

Have you heard the crazy schemes for the development of the Dun Laoighre coast-line? Crazy expensive nonsense, the sort of which, I fear, will not even be affected by a change of government. This is because these are county council issues, not national government issues.

Run_to_da_hills

The Tri Axle (VT - Volvo B9TL) 46A busses and other commercial road going vehicles made sh*t of these cobbles.

It should have been 100% pedestrianised with no traffic at all from the beginning.

The reason they had to do it was down to liability and the potential insurance claim if someone tripped up.

Ennis and other county councils will no doubt be following suit.

View

RandomName2 wrote: »

If you know Dun Laoighre you might remember that there was a huge fuss made about pedestrianising the main street. This meant several months of serious construction, massive public costs and a significant impact on local businesses.

Whatever about how it was done, I thought pedestrianising the main street was an improvement for DL. If anything, I reckon they could have pedestrianised more of the street.

It is hard to see why the buses couldn't have been re-routed to run on nearby streets rather than having them driving along a pedestrianised street.

Run_to_da_hills

View wrote: »

Whatever about how it was done, I thought pedestrianising the main street was an improvement for DL. If anything, I reckon they could have pedestrianised more of the street.

It is hard to see why the buses couldn't have been re-routed to run on nearby streets rather than having them driving along a pedestrianised street.

The only way Dublin bound busses could have avoided this way was to divert along the seafront (Crofton RD). and turn left up York road. This would have been a No No at the time,

reprazant

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

The only way Dublin bound busses could have avoided this way was to divert along the seafront (Crofton RD). and turn left up York road. This would have been a No No at the time,

I don't see why?

DLRCoCo are possibly the worst Count Council known to man.

The shops blamed the pedestrianisation of DL for people stopping going but people stopped going because it cost an arm and a leg to park anywhere in DL and there was an army of ticket wardens to catch you if you out stayed your welcome by even a few minutes and also the range of shops, probably related to the point above and I am sure, hilariously high rents, of pretty dire. The only shops that survived any length of time were the ones that had been there for ages and were probably already tied into long lower rents.

It seems to me that DLRCoCo pretty much refuse to do anything that they won't make money from.

Cookie_Monster

there's a discussion in Dublin County South forum on this too.

There was little wrong with that street as it was. The problem in Dun Laoghaire (by the way:D) is lack of reasonable parking as stated previously. Its 2.20 an hour to park anywhere. The harbour has extended parking hours too, so even outside the usual 7-7 Mon to Sat its still excessive to park there. I would also imagine most of the damage was done by 40ft trucks rather than buses. Tesco and M&S get daily delivery of at least 1-2 40fts

There is little reason to go there anymore unless you don't drive. Dundrum is much more accessible, more shops and cheaper to park at €2 for 3 hours. Even Carrickmines offers much that DL doesn't these days

bryanw

I noticed that they were ripping them up on Monday alright. I'm glad. It seemed to me that they were years putting the paving and cobbles down, and when they were finished, it never lived up to my expectations. I always thought the paving on George's St. and Marine Rd. looked filthy. It was never as pretty as it should have been.

Rip it up I say and replace with something simple and not elaborate, just done properly. Besides I'm not a fan of those type of cobbles or redbricks for road surfaces. Just look at the various ramps made from them and the similar cobbles at The Park, Carrickmines. They will end up having to resurface that as they are in bits already and incredibly annoying to drive over.

Also Dun Laoghaire SC has 3 hours parking for 2 euro. Now if only there were some shops left...

RandomName2 wrote: »

This is just part of a general trend of mismanagement and corruption concerning planning, spending and public representation that I know has taken root in Dublin, and I can only assume is prevalent throughout the country.

I agree. A pet hate of mine is the mini roundabout on Glenageary Rd. Lwr. at Silchester Rd. This was redone about 3 times. A certain councilor (cough *smoked salmon* cough) lives on that road (which is the only road benefited by the roundabout). Coincidence... ?

Breezer

bryanw wrote: »

A pet hate of mine is the mini roundabout on Glenageary Rd. Lwr. at Silchester Rd. This was redone about 3 times.

Do you remember the Avondale Road cycle track saga? :rolleyes:

Interesting that they're taking the cobbles up. Is it going to remain one way?

And I agree about the parking. It's been made worse recently by all of Bloomfields' outdoor spaces being converted to loading bays and taxi ranks. I was in Dun Laoghaire at 6.45 in the evening the other night. Damned if I was paying for car parking and I wasn't driving round for 15 minutes. I went to Tesco Ballybrack instead.

Don't get me started on Dundrum. I don't blame people for going there, I blame the Council's ridiculous policies over the years. I really miss the way Dun Laoghaire used to be, time was it had everything, and it's a much nicer town that Dundrum. I wonder will it ever see a revival?

Heroditas

Breezer wrote: »

I really miss the way Dun Laoghaire used to be, time was it had everything, and it's a much nicer town that Dundrum. I wonder will it ever see a revival?

Yeah I grew up in the area and never used to have to go into the city centre bar Christmas because Dun Laoghaire had everything.
Maybe I'm looking back all misty-eyed at when I was a young kid at the beginning of the 80s but despite being a bit run down in areas, Dun Laoghaire always seemed to thrive along George's Street and inside the shopping centre. Even in the early 80s, there was never a single empty premises along the main street or in the centre - every single shop was open and doing decent business. Sure enough, some of them would close - e.g. the site opposite the library which originally held Dockerells I think, then Atlantic, then got knocked down and then Iceland .... but the point was that a site would never be closed for very long. There was alweays another business that would move into the site.
George's Street and the SC seemed to decline, funnily enough, when the whole town underwent the facelift from the 90s onwards and they opened the Bloomfields centre.
Once the Pavilion was redeveloped, and then Dundrum SC got built, the town went into quite an even steeper decline.

I guess people just go elsewhere for all their goods now.