The new pavement and lights on Grafton Street

Kermit.de.frog

Whoever is responsible for what they have done should resign or be fired immediately.

DCC, even though we don't expect much of them anyway, somehow contrived to make the street worse than before and have installed hideous green lamp posts a long the street for good measure as well as other furniture to complement the ugly pavement they put down.

Unbelievable.

What were they thinking!?

Atlantic Dawn

If I was working for the city I would pick the pavement of a nice European city and get the very same stone for Grafton Street, that would be sensible but no instead they go with some unproven rubbish that is already destroyed from everyday footfall.

ProudDUB

But do you not all think that the pale grey stone shows up all the chewing gum stains oh so beautifully? :rolleyes:

InTheTrees

Pics? or at least some link to a picture would help a lot.

.

Dubl07

I live in County Dublin but haven't been in the city centre for a couple of years. Is this yet another new surface on Grafton Street?

markpb

I saw the new lamps yesterday but it was during the day, I'd be curious to see what they're like at night before passing judgement. The green is a little odd alright, reminds me of the Dublin Bus colour scheme from the 80s and 90s.

The weird bollard things are awful. I know someone (here maybe?) suggested they were necessary to protect the cellars but they're horrible and have gotten very old or dirty looking very quickly. I can also see them being a magnet for stickers which will make them look worse.

The paving surface isn't what I expected either. They did say it would need to be cleaned and a protective surface put on top of it when all the construction work was done. I wonder if this had happened? If it has, I'm very disappointed with the final product.

FreudianSlippers

The rumour was that the so-called street furniture was temporary. With the installation of the matching awful lights I'm not so sure that's true.

Removal of the bricks was a truly awful idea - they have managed to replace them with uglier and more slippery stone. A+ job there DCC

cherryghost

I feel sick

dRNk SAnTA

Are there any pictures of these new lamp posts?

I hate to go against the flow, but I think the new paving is a big improvement. The old paving was nasty, 80s "British shopping centre" crap, and it was in awful condition too.

But I'm nervous about these lamp posts.

the groutch

haven't been on Grafton Street for a while, but if it's the same stuff that's on Henry Street, then it's a bloody death-trap every time it rains.

Stinjy

the groutch wrote: »

haven't been on Grafton Street for a while, but if it's the same stuff that's on Henry Street, then it's a bloody death-trap every time it rains.

I remember going on my arse on that stuff on Henry st before and nearly slipping a few times especially in the heavier rain..

Any one got a picture of these lamp posts/ paving?

RosieJoe

Dubl07 wrote: »

I live in County Dublin but haven't been in the city centre for a couple of years. Is this yet another new surface on Grafton Street?

Must be quite awhile since you were last in Grafton Street seeing as the recently replaced bricks were put down in the mid 1980's

miamee

No pics of the lamp post but they are rather tall green posts with what looks like a white lily pad on the top; at least that's what it reminds me of. I have seen them in the dark but they weren't on so I have no idea what kind of light they will give off. They are a bit odd looking to say the least.

DamienKelly

would love to see a picture of the street now. Is all the work finished now?

FreudianSlippers

DamienKelly wrote: »

would love to see a picture of the street now. Is all the work finished now?

It's basically the same as Henry St with uglier street furniture

DamienKelly

FreudianSlippers wrote: »

It's basically the same as Henry St with uglier street furniture

O God DCC they just cant get anything right. When I heard it was being done I thought it was a good idea and could put down a lovely surface and really make it a beautiful street.

Slashman X

This is what they look like:

FreudianSlippers

:facepalm:


I give up DCC, I just give up.

A Disgrace

It really is getting beyond a joke now – DCC really needs to sit down, work out a master plan and stick to a rigid design for the city, permanently. All this messing about has Dublin looking worse than ever – Simple, heritage style, black lampposts are what’s needed on Grafton st, not uber-modern, kitsch ‘flower stalks’. Grafton st is an old street, flanked by old buildings and should be treated as such.

It says it all when the most elegant and attractive areas of paving and street furniture are amongst the oldest (at City Hall/Newcomb bank, parts of Merrion Sq) and have stood the test of time (and resisted destruction) for hundreds of years. Instead of trying to ‘innovate’ and come with flash new ideas, just stick to what worked in the past – save the flower stalks for the docklands…

Dubl07

RosieJoe wrote: »

Must be quite awhile since you were last in Grafton Street seeing as the recently replaced bricks were put down in the mid 1980's

Maybe I was there more recently than I thought, then! :P The grey ice-rink that replaced the wonky bricks put me off Grafton Street almost as much as the chuggers.

carlmango11

Absolutely disgusting. Who is responsible for these decisions? Or is there absolutely zero accountability or public consultation on these matters?

quadrifoglio verde

A Disgrace wrote: »

It really is getting beyond a joke now – DCC really needs to sit down, work out a master plan and stick to a rigid design for the city, permanently. All this messing about has Dublin looking worse than ever – Simple, heritage style, black lampposts are what’s needed on Grafton st, not uber-modern, kitsch ‘flower stalks’. Grafton st is an old street, flanked by old buildings and should be treated as such.

It says it all when the most elegant and attractive areas of paving and street furniture are amongst the oldest (at City Hall/Newcomb bank, parts of Merrion Sq) and have stood the test of time (and resisted destruction) for hundreds of years. Instead of trying to ‘innovate’ and come with flash new ideas, just stick to what worked in the past – save the flower stalks for the docklands…

Agreed....why they couldn't stick with the tried and tested method. Yes the granite stone thats the same as whats on merrion sq might have been more costly, but at least you'd only have to do it once. Also whats wrong with the old fashion lights, at least they looked nice. I like lots of modern lighting, but christ these are hideous

cgcsb

Dubl07 wrote: »

I live in County Dublin but haven't been in the city centre for a couple of years. Is this yet another new surface on Grafton Street?

it's been 30 years

Dubl07

cgcsb wrote: »

it's been 30 years

The grey granite? Give me a break.

It looked terrible already. But at least it looked kinda quaint and vintage. Now it's just an eyesore.

Cookie_Monster

Not only are they hideous; this love of pointing lights up and diffusing them is pretty wasteful too as much of it is wasted on absorption or upwards scatter.

boombang

I really think they are a terrible choice. Not that Grafton St has that cohesive a style, but something vaguely Edwardian would have been more appropriate surely.

Decisions made by DCC always leaving me scratching my head.

Ronan|Raven

Walked down Grafton earlier. Those lights should be cut down. Look awful.

Muahahaha

First the poor job and selection of matierals for the paving and now these lights. Like wtf is that supposed to be at the top of them? No doubt somewhere in DCC there is an expensively produced document telling us how the light shades represent the feathers of a swan or some such other claptrap. Painting them green also has me scratching my head. The colours of the county are metropolitan blue, not green. Black would have been the better colour. Regardless of colours though DCC have just taken a street with hundreds of years of heritage and placed contemporary lights on it which really shows up their poor decision making. Its like putting an Ikea lightshade in an Edwardian manor house, you just wouldn't do it because you already know it will look out of place.

What this shows us (yet again) is that a Mayor of Dublin with adequate powers is needed now more than ever. But with four squabbling county councils to satisfy its hard to see it ever happening. Meanwhile London continues on in leaps and bounds with its Mayoral office.

Ranchu

If our current mayor had any power at all we could be in fierce trouble.