Cork City - anti social behaviour etc... what's being done?

sporina

The streets are a mess with folk strung out or using.. drugs... alcohol.. /fighting.. shouting at one another like they are in a world of their own..

Whats being done about this?

Its not a nice place to be anymore.. I don't wanna bring my family down for a weekend.. not a nice place to hang out..

PS I feel for these people.. but its not right having this going on so openly in town? like its acceptable..

whisky_galore

My guess. Nothing.

People don't want to see shooting up on their doorsteps, but neither do they want injection centres where things might be at least managed.

Alcohol was always around but now you have cheap and widely available drugs. Lets face it, we can't stop drugs coming into the country but we can do something to reduce demand. It's probably too late for current hardcore users but not for the next generation if money was put into programs to stop them becoming users in the first place, money that we seem to fling at everything else.

Mav11

The issues concerning the state of the city were covered by Prendeville on Thurs morning. Some interesting views on the problem.

sporina

i've decided to send an email to the council - no point in me moaning without doing something about it..

Mav11

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120257262#Comment_120257262

I might be cynical but I don't think that will do any good. The council, along with others are completely disinterested and avoid taking any responsibility for the problem!

Douglas Eegit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120257539#Comment_120257539

I wouldn't be so certain about that. If the noise is kept up something might actually be done

https://www.echolive.ie/corknews/arid-41074379.html

thomil

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120257539#Comment_120257539

To be honest, what can the council actually do? Sure, they can call on Gardaí to put more boots on the street, but given how centralised law enforcement in this country is, they might as well be yelling at clouds, especially since AGS seems to be stretched thin everywhere. And even with an increased Garda presence on the streets, that'll only be symbolic until the courts start being tougher in their sentencing. This latter part is the biggest issue in my eyes.

As for things like safe injection centres, exit/withdrawal programs, etc., even if Cork City Council gave a damn about that, which they obviously don't, and even if they could vote the necessary bills through the council, which there's a snowball's chance in hell of that happening given evolutionary detritus such as councillors Paudie Dineen, Terry Shannon, Ken O'Flynn and other evolutionary dead ends, the "good" citizens of this city would sue the council into oblivion to keep any such initiatives from getting of the ground. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally in favour of such initiatives, I just have no faith at all in the people of Cork actually being able to make a sensible decision. They seem to have elevated "shooting yourself in the foot with a 12-inch naval gun" to an art form!

igCorcaigh

OK, hear me out.

What the Lord Mayor was expressing is the horror of the sight of people drinking vodka, people openly dealing drugs, or junkies etc. The sight of it shocked her, making her feel unsafe.

Those people, I do not think are threatening. There is nowhere for a person with addiction problems to go to. They are treated like criminals. But they are victims, without any form of proper care from the State.

It is ultimately the failure of the State to provide these people with what they need. Bring people into the system. There is your heroin, there is whatever else you need.

They are left on the streets. A total failure of government policy.

Mav11

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120259631#Comment_120259631

Bring people into the system.

Yes. Take the users out of the criminal justice system and bring them into the health system. BUT would you trust the HSE with anything??

the beer revolu

This thread (up to now) has been unusually compassionate and reasonable compared to the posts we typically get regarding antisocial behaviour and those accused of it.

The reality is that there is no simple solution and any serious effort would take probably 2 generations to bed in. That's far too long term for any politician in our system.

Unfortunately, though, our society is becoming more unequal and more polorised. I don't see things getting better any time soon.

sporina

its the kids I worry about - seeing folk carrying on like that - using and fighting - like its a norm..

there's always hope that something will change - i've done my bit anyway.. no point moaning and not doing something about it..

ALB2022

It was only a matter of time unfortunately. It's also only a matter of time before people start exaggerating it into 'no go' areas.

I'm just back from Lisbon and they had an interesting approach (decriminalisation with resouces focused elsewhere). It made the city feel safer despite drug use obviously being rampant...alhough the drinking culture wouldn't be near as out of control there.

Along with whatever resources can be put into Health and Welfare, maybe containment areas outside of our main cities is the only solution?

Mav11

Bit of a long one here. Bear with me on my rant!!

You know, I don’t think that the problem is that complex or difficult to address, if only our dysfunctional, self-serving institutions got off their collective rear ends and stopped allowing the issues to get worse.

I support the “Broken Windows” theory of crime. This tells us that visible signs of crime, dereliction or anti-social behaviour in an urban context perpetuates and encourages further crime and anti-social behaviour. So if you don’t address the problem of the drug dealer in Bishop Lucey park or McCurtain st or the Lr Rd where I have seen it myself, it encourages further drug dealing and anti-social behaviour as these individuals feel that they can act with impunity. This is an issue for the criminal justice system (Courts, Prisons and Gardai) to deal with. Which they have increasingly become ineffectual at doing. So deal with the source of the problem harshly and deal with the poor misfortunates (the addicts) in a compassionate and caring manner.

It now appears that people are becoming increasingly fearful of walking around town. Listen to Prendville on Friday (I catch up with the podcasts at the weekends).

So now lets look at our wonderful council. It is clear that if more people and families were living in the city centre it would lead to a better and more vibrant atmosphere and consequently a reduction in undesirable behaviour and make the centre more desirable and people less fearful. Easy peasy, win win, more life in the centre, more accommodation at a time when we are crying out for more! Correct??

Prendville Friday again. Metro Man Barbershop in Marlborough st. is using the ground floor for its business but has to pay extortionate rates to the council for the whole building. So they contact the council with a view to turning the upper floors into homes / apartments.

Council: You can’t do that, Fire officer wouldn’t allow it.

Barber Shop: Couldn’t we put in a fire escape like they do in New York?

Council: You can’t do that, planning wouldn’t allow it.

So no solutions from the council, only problems and perpetuation of the issues.

I do honestly believe that inaction by our institutions is part of the problem. But from their perspective its safer and easier to do nothing, than it is to try something and fail!

Rant over.

BagofWeed

I'm not saying Cork is perfect but the fear mongering here is on another level, some locals are afraid of their own shadows.

Most of the current trouble relating to drugs comes from the 05/06 years when Heroin got more plentiful and cheaper after the Afghan war. The pharmaceutical prescription pills have caused havoc too but the Gardaí, courts and media don't tend to focus too much on them unfortunately. The closure of Spike and the resulting move of young prisoners to a Dublin prison full of Heroin was in my opinion a disgraceful act and is the main direct cause of Cork's Heroin issue.

And because younger people have little or no prospects for independent living it's only going to get far worse especially around the hostels.

sporina

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120261057#Comment_120261057

its not fear mongering... its calling a spade a spade.. the city has become a sh*thole.. tis like a messed up circus.. and its a daily thing.. the antisocial behaviour is just soo "present".. in the main streets.. like I said - not good for the people who live/work there - or for tourism..

Straight Talker

It's not just the drink and drug related anti social behaviour, there's the business closures and general dereliction in some parts of the city centre as well. Personally myself i think Cork was at it's best in the 90's and early 00's. In my opinion the city has gone downhill rapidly since from about 2014 onwards. Other cities and towns around the country though, have also had a huge increase in anti social behaviour on the streets since covid.

So while our city does have it's problems, those problems aren't exclusive to Cork alone. Lack of garda resources, a soft judicial system, and our decade long hard drugs problem have all had a detrimental impact on our city imo.

I just don't think the will or the appetite to do anything about the problem, is there from the relevant authorities though. The same thing happened in Dublin, everyone just turned a blind eye to it. I still love Cork and i'm still proud of being from Cork, it's just that i'm not much of a fan of the post covid version of the city sadly.

whisky_galore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120257603#Comment_120257603

Yesterday's men and women will hold this up until it's too late, the 'lock them up and throw away the key sorts' but on the other hand they wouldn't want a prison built next to them or putting money into stopping it at source.

whisky_galore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120257563#Comment_120257563

I can see Garda 'Operation such and such' rolled out for a few months and wound down after the fuss has died down.

Rinse and repeat.

notAMember

The city is manky, and plenty of this is/was the councils responsibility. When I was a small child, the city manager would go for a walk around the city most days, I'd see him, people knew who it was. They kept on top of the day to day maintenance. Wtf are they doing now, hiding in their office approving capital projects? Does anyone here know who it even is anymore?

The streets look messy. The street furniture (lights, robot trees etc) makes the place uncleanable by machines. Adding now-rotting wooden "parklets" is just more mess in my opinion. They look good for a few months, and then no maintenance.

Heavily noise polluted. People screaming religious stuff, amps blaring poor quality singing. Traffic noise.

Smell. Dirt, traffic fumes, drains blocked, river not dredged correctly. bins overflowing, no toilets so people piss and worse on the streets.

Mature trees were cut down, replaced with saplings, which will take decades to become useful noise absorption / air quality / visually appealing.

Boarded up shops. The idiotic rules preventing development and investment in upper floors makes buildings decay, and prevents growth of residential occupancy. The poor public transport and low park availability doesn't encourage footfall either. It's very difficult to run any business in the city and it's unpleasant to bring children in there. When my children were small, I used to enjoy bringing them to the public library and into bishop lucey park. That area is now revoltingly dirty and feels dangerous, I wouldn't head for there myself, let alone with children.

When you have all that, are we surprised that the love for the city is reduced? If you put people in a tip, they will behave like it is a tip. I don't see any accountability for the fundamental problems. So to answer your question on what is being done, it doesn't matter. They will faff about the edges with new programs, but miss the basics.

Best bet sporina, is to move.

the beer revolu

I think there's a serious case to be made that we view our surroundings differently at different stages of our lives.

In our teens and 20s, life and our surroundings seem to have more potential and we focus on the good and tend to ignore the bad.

Again, as young parents, there is an optimism.

But as we enter later stages in life, we tend to see the worst around us as many people become disillusioned and bleaker in their outlook.

This may explain why for as long as there have been people in cities, there have always been people harping back to better times and claiming that their city has gone to hell in a hand basket. It will always be such. It's generational.

A post above which, to be fair, points out many genuine failings, is so negative, one sided, and pessimistic, that I can only assume it comes from a place of depression. A place where only darkness and misery can be seen from.

Our country, society and city has problems. They can be overcome and let's hope they will be.

sporina

@notAMember move? no! i'm just focusing on the good stuff and I get out of the city a lot to hike etc..

era I can only hope that things get better in town though

Mav11

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120274635#Comment_120274635

Spot on Beer. There is a noticeable and general increase in societal violence and anti social behaviour in recent years. All you have to do is witness the shenanigans in Ballyfermot in recent times to get an idea of the extent of the problem.

However I do think / hope that there is the beginning of a growing awareness in Government as to the extent of the problem. Witness the recent sentencing of that 14 yo scrote who stabbed and murdered that poor woman in the IFSC.

I've said it above that I believe that State behaviour / inaction up to now is a large part of the problem, maybe State action can now be part of the solution!

whisky_galore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120275410#Comment_120275410

Until a minister or judge is stabbed, nothing much will happen.

whisky_galore

Agree with parklets being awful. Budget garden centre 'improvements', like you'd see in a beer garden.

Everyone seems to forget they need to be constantly maintained to stop them from looking shabby.

Mav11

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120277993#Comment_120277993

It might speed the "conversation" up a tad!

https://www.thejournal.ie/national-conversation-on-violence-taoiseach-6000786-Feb2023/

whisky_galore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120278025#Comment_120278025

They need a good dose of the 'other Ireland' at times, outside of their bubble, like Joan in Jobstown.

Straight Talker

The people tasked with the day to day running welfare and maintenance of our city really are a disgrace. Of course you could say this about every single local authority in Ireland, but Cork has the potential to be a much better city than it currently is. More guards on the beat will help keep the thugs off the streets, but of course the numbers aren't there to police the city effectively.

We have a city council that won't reduce rents, and we have greedy landlords allowing their premises in the city centre to fall into disrepair. Times have changed of course as well obviously. The days of people going into town for their shopping on a Saturday is long gone. People now use places like Mahon Point and Amazon instead. Yeah suburban shopping centres and Jeff Bezos have killed the concept of the high street as we used to know it!

But that's the thing change is a constant in life change happens every single day, sometimes it's for the better and other times it sadly isn't. We all want a city that's the best city it can possibly be for both locals and visitors alike. Who knows maybe in another ten years Cork might be a remarkably changed and improved city. It can happen if the will and wherewithal is there to make it happen.

sporina

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120280956#Comment_120280956

don't know what the occupancy rates are but defo less than say pre covid..

as for anti social behaviour - its rampant.. there are so many begging.. consuming drugs and alcohol and roaming around shouting at one another like they are in a world of their own.. saw one lad today staggering up french church st at 1pm with a can of beer in his hand.. its a regular thing.. and I have to say that I did not see 1 cop on the beat today while I was in town actually I rarely see them

Ozvaldo

lot of wackers in there with the tracksuits and white socks

sporina

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120281462#Comment_120281462

and lots of relatively dressed folk begging too - definitely don't look homeless

Thelonious Monk

I was there twice in the last year for a wedding and visiting a friend, first visits to Cork City in my life. First time I stayed in a Maldron near the quays and second time another run down kind of old yellow hospital Maldron a bit more inland up a hill which wasn't very nice mind. Didn't notice any of the stuff you're talking about here really. I did see some heroin addicts, they look just like Dublin ones, and a group of teens or two in the same uniform as what we have in Dublin. But I mean you see addicts and down and outs in every city in the world, even in Zurich and places like that. No one bothered me at all.

I went for a jog at night along the river and around some little park and back, just looking on a map it's called Fitzgerald's park, not many people around but I remember some people drinking cans on benches around that way. I did notice there aren't many people at all walking around at night compared to London where I have been for a while (obviously) but also Dublin seems far busier with people, which makes sense given its size. And the traffic is brutal in the centre, in parts anyway.

There are loads of dilapidated buildings though, but I was probably on the lookout for these as a guy posts photos of them on Twitter all the time, Frank O'Connor I think is his name.

Anyway it didn't seem in the least bit dodgy to me, but this site thinks Dublin is like Caracas or somewhere like that so I'm not surprised you all think it's rough. I was just a bit disappointed at how quiet it was at night and it seemed really dark and a bit run down especially on what I think was the northside around where that yellow Maldron was. Grand place though.

sporina

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120281623#Comment_120281623

for someone who has lived in the city for the last 18 yrs.. believe me - there is a change - for the worse - on so many levels.. esp in the last 3 yrs

Thelonious Monk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120281650#Comment_120281650

as an outsider i didn't really see anything wrong with the place myself, at least with anti-social behaviour, but then i only spent 4 days there in total

Heckler

I've lived in Cork all my life (50 odd years) and it has gone downhill a lot. I rarely go in to the city centre these days. Not afraid of assault or anything thats pretty rare especially if you have your wits about you but just the general state and vibe of the whole place.

Walking in to town through barrack street and down south main st. on a saturday night and I'd even hold off having a smoke. Moths to a flame from people drinking all afternoon on the scrounge. Daunt square is a shitehole. People openly pissing in the doorway of St.Augustines church on the mall. North main street was always a bit dodge and is decrepit.

By the time I'm out in the center later at night I'd be after a skinful and a lot of things go unnoticed but anytime I was in town after 12 sober it really opens your eyes.

In all my years out in the city I was assaulted three time. Two a very minor event (passing punch), one a 5 on 2 pummeling. All well over 20 years ago. And I've been in some states wandering around while in my my youth looking very alternative which is a red flag to some ne'er do wells.

In my opinion Cork is a safe city to visit and socialise in but if I would advise potential visitors of certain areas to avoid.

ofcork

Ive never had hassle going out in the city over 30 years but the last few years the city has definitely gone down even during the day,so quiet on a saturday now compared to before.The heroin problem is creating a lot of the issues as well as closed up shops etc,hopefully it will get better a shopping center is not the same at all.

notAMember

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120274635#Comment_120274635

How rude and unnecessary. You are telling me I have mental health problems and am old because I can see with clear blue eyes? Was the personal attack actually necessary?

No, you cheeky pup, it's not that I'm old, or have depression (wtaf), it's that I am rarely in Cork. It's like seeing children you didn't see in a year and noticing how tall they got. I can clearly see the degradation as an outsider. Every time I come back to Cork I can see more rubbish on the streets, junk like robot trees, parklets and more boarded up places than before. Plenty of other cities also suffer from this, but there's no reason Cork can't do better.

And sorry, but it is gaslighting bullshlt to say that anyone who doesn't align with your rose-tinted filth-blindness view has some kind of nostalgia, sentimentality, mental health issue, emotional problem, or faulty memory. I own and maintain a few buildings around the city. I track, record and photograph when something nearby is derelict or in need of cleaning / repair. It is just plain old data.

the beer revolu

Gosh, such anger!

Chill the fcuk out and try to enjoy life a little.

I made no reference to your age whatsoever.

My post neither quoted you, nor directly referenced you. I preferred when you had me on ignore. And, less of the personal insults, please.

Mav11

I was in Rome for the weekend for the match and must have walked the city over the 3 days.

A few observations:

Homelessness also seemed to be an issue with rough sleeping, though not to the same extent as Cork or Dublin and not on the main thoroughfares.

Teenage gangs also causing trouble by the Colosseum although being watched by the police and wearing more stylish tracksuits (Italians😁)

Plenty of police around the city keeping an eye on things so tourists never felt intimidated.

I saw no sign of drug dealing anywhere. Maybe that was due to the police presence!

Ozvaldo

Cork City is full of junkies, homeless, beggers and wackers in tracksuits -no police presence whatsoever

thomil

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120302174#Comment_120302174

And that's just the city council...

sprucemoose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120260990#Comment_120260990

its not really the job of the council to provide solutions if someone wants to convert retail/commercial into residential. if the owner wanted solutions then they should hire an architect/planning consultant etc, its not really up to the council to fix their problem (now, having dealt with them in these sorts of situations in the past, theyre not always the easiest to get clarification/information all the same).

those sorts of fire escapes wouldnt get planning as they are unsafe and just a bad idea overall. i dont know the building too well either, but id imagine means of escape wasnt the only problem relating to fire anyway.

and i doubt it was that the fire officer just wouldnt allow it, the more likely case is that in its current condition it wouldnt be allowed and so works/certification to bring it to fire spec would be needed. but sure that costs money......

Robert Nairac

Is the burper still around or has he cleared off?

Mav11

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120306478#Comment_120306478

its not really the job of the council to provide solutions if someone wants to convert retail/commercial into residential.

In fairness, if you read my original post it is not suggesting that at all. What the post does suggest is that if there were more people living in the city centre the safer and less intimidating the centre becomes. What the post further suggests, using the barber shop as an example, is that the council through their risk adverse / CYA approach is preventing this transformation.

Now, it is the council's job, to provide or allow for a safe and welcoming city centre free from anti social behaviour, where people can live and visit .

whisky_galore

The problem with Ireland is that it never seems to be anyone's job to do anything.

Mav11

Its easier!

sprucemoose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120308399#Comment_120308399

or as i explained in my post, certain people expect things to be done for free when it is meant to be a task that has to be paid for

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120308075#Comment_120308075

i agree that city centres (not just cork) need to become more residential - the high street as it was for the last however long is basically dead and cities need to adapt to meet that. however, haphazard development/redevelopment to meet this is not the answer - commercial and residential buildings are generally not constructed in the same way and they need works to convert from one use to another.

my point on this in relation to the barber was that he was blaming the council for something that is his problem (having not heard the conversation itself im going on how it was described here). as i said already, it is not the job of the various departments to provide solutions to this person who wants to convert his property to a different use - however, if he were to engage the services of a professional to design/engineer what needs to be done, i have found in the past the planning/fire departments etc, can be very amenable to work with proposals and help fix problems, once they are provided with some sort of formal proposal. they dont however, really deal with general enquiries which is how im guessing this person approached them

you say the council is risk adverse - if it is currently a commerical space (office or whatever), then most likely it does not have the proper fire protection between the upper and lower floors (possibly to other buildings too even). converting to residential would involve the provision of cooking facilities - should it just stay as it is and risk firespread?

so the council likely didnt just say no, they most likely said no as it currently is so come back with a formal proposal. which would cost the owner money, which i imagine is what they are actually upset with. technically the owner could do this themselves if they have the correct knowledge but engaging a professional is most likely needed. but it makes better radio for the misery merchants like prenderville to just complain about the council

Mav11

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120310938#Comment_120310938

as i said already, it is not the job of the various departments to provide solutions

I wouldn't completely agree with this statement but regardless, it does not apply in this instance. In the example of the barber shop the solution was provided to the council, but the council rejected the proposal without indicating an alternative.

Its easy for the council just to say NO and thus cover their respective arses in the event that anything goes wrong.

sprucemoose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120312114#Comment_120312114

no sorry it exactly applies in this situation. i actually went and searched the interview out to make sure i was understanding what the person was talking about. it sounds like there was a very informal enquiry made and they were told no

you say the council didnt indicate an alternative - once again, that simply isnt their job. it is up to the applicant (or their professional) to suggest solutions and the council can make comment on these - although there is a process for this and an informal enquiry will most likely not be entertained. now, are the waiting times too long for a formal discussion/meeting - absolutely, but thats a different story

and the style of fire escapes suggested dont really work so of course they wouldnt get planning permission, they generally arent allowed to be built anywhere in the world anymore

so as i said before, its very easy to just blame the council when in fact if this person followed the actual process they most likely would get somewhere. but that costs money, so its easier to just go on prenderville and complain

Mav11

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120315379#Comment_120315379

You're a council employee, aren't you?

Because you fail to see that the problem is anti social behaviour and a possible solution is more people living in the city centre which the council are preventing. So the council are part of the problem when they should be part of the solution. But to repeat, it is easier to do nothing!

But I expect another typical council response to this.

notAMember

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120306478#Comment_120306478

It actually is. It's their job, to facilitate and steer the future of the city, including making sure dereliction is addressed. It's just that the different departments (planning, fire, historical preservation) don't talk to eachother and all contradict eachothers rules. No connected guideline on how to develop above a shop. Private citizens here are expected to be able to navigate rules that make no sense, and they get bounced back and forth. There is no guideline, because it's almost impossible to develop spaces above retail. Knock it and rebuild with an architect isn't a rational suggestion. If you own only the floors above a shop, you cannot alter the ground floor.

I rent an apartment in a city in Europe, above a shop. There is no dedicated street entrance, I get to my apartment through a door in the shop itself. I have keys to the front of the shop and walk through to get to a corridor behind it, where there are stairs to my place. There is a fire escape out the back. This is perfectly normal across Europe. This isn't allowed in Cork for god only knows why. And you're not allowed to add access doors to the street itself, and you're not allowed to access them from the rear either. All ways to develop here above ground floor level are thoroughly blocked, unless you are building brand new.

The bits of Cork that are fantastic are the pubs, restaurants, cafes, shops, galleries, theaters with all the fantastic people running them, privately. Once you step off the street and into any building in Cork, it's like a different world. Private people pour money into development, and pay rates, income tax and VAT. Yet somehow the public spaces are built and then abandoned. I'm fully sure individuals in the council do their best, and their hands are tied too, but the processes seem to have evolved into utter nonsense, no-one seems to consider maintenance, or a few months in front of them.

The bollards that now separate bikes from cars as another example. I cycled this weekend in some of those. I get that it's to somehow protect cyclists. Except the street sweeping machines can't fit in them. So now the bikes lanes are scattered with shards of broken glass until someone hand-sweeps them. It would be laughable if it wasn't our own city.

sprucemoose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120315592#Comment_120315592

no i dont work for the council (not that it would make any difference). i however, have provided solutions to very similar problems to what the person in question was talking about. the difference is that my clients were willing to follow the processes and decided it was worth the money to engage my professional services.

i have agreed from the start that it is imperative that more people live in the city centre. i do not however, want more people living there in spaces that do not meet fire safety standards.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120317994#Comment_120317994

you do have a point to be fair about departments not dealing with each other properly, i have had many frustrations with that in the past. nobody is saying things 100% have to be knocked (in most cases, the exact opposite is what is preferred), most solutions generally involve minimal demolition works

how long ago was your building built though? i dont know where you are talking about but i somehow doubt that would be allowed in a new build/refurb anywhere to be honest. also, i dont see why you would want more solutions like that, thats terribly cumbersome and not something that i would advocate

bike lanes are a different story but yes they need alot of work on numerous fronts (or did when i last used them anyway). fining people who stop/park in them would be a start