nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

Child Item

Cities around the world that are reducing car access

MJohnston

I thought this would be an interesting thread to track the efforts of various cities to reduce the amount of car access, and thereby improve either the public realm, transport infrastructure, or just the local environment.

Today Paris won a court case which will allow them to proceed with banning cars from the banks of the Seine:

https://twitter.com/Anne_Hidalgo/status/1055442830892654594

https://phys.org/news/2016-09-paris-cars-river-seine.html

Find more posts tagged with

Quick Links

Comments

magicbastarder

https://twitter.com/carltonreid/status/1403671480664268800

Thelonious Monk

I wish they'd just ban cars from the wooden bridge, it's just ridiculous. And the idiots who think it's a good idea to drive there on a day like today I will never understand.

https://twitter.com/karlstanley/status/1404084818426662913

cgcsb

I just don't get the whole driving over the wooden bridge thing. There's just no room, why try to wedge them in

magicbastarder

there's quite simply no other way to cross the wooden bridge.

Pete_Cavan

magicbastarder wrote: »

there's quite simply no other way to cross the wooden bridge.

Walk? Cycle? I've said it here before but I'd like to see a bus route tried between Clontarf Road station and Raheny via Bull Island using both the Wooden Bridge and Causeway, even if only April - Sept. Restrictions definitely need to be introduced on the Wooden Bridge at weekends during the summer at the very least, the current situation doesn't do anyone any good.

Thelonious Monk

cgcsb wrote: »

I just don't get the whole driving over the wooden bridge thing. There's just no room, why try to wedge them in

In fairness they're all old and disabled and surely Dollymount beach shouldn't only be an amenity to people living nearby, you hardly expect people from Blanchardstown to park somewhere else and walk over?

magicbastarder

Pete_Cavan wrote: »

Walk? Cycle?

ah, i was just joking.

MJohnston

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

In fairness they're all old and disabled and surely Dollymount beach shouldn't only be an amenity to people living nearby, you hardly expect people from Blanchardstown to park somewhere else and walk over?

I know you're just joking, but everyone seems to forget the more northerly causeway road exists.

Thelonious Monk

MJohnston wrote: »

I know you're just joking, but everyone seems to forget the more northerly causeway road exists.

That would have been completely jammed with cars yesterday too though, you'd be lucky to get parking.

MJohnston

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

That would have been completely jammed with cars yesterday too though, you'd be lucky to get parking.

Of course, but if there's a pedestrianised entrance on the wooden bridge, and gridlock on the causeway, let the lazy feckers have their gridlock.

cgcsb

Illegal Parking Fines-

We've had 2 weeks now of theoretical parking fines without clamping aimed at illegal parkers in loading bays, bus/cycle lanes and footpaths. Has anybody noticed any imrpovement or otherwise?

In my view there has been no change at all, at least on the streets I see regularly. Cars are still using the Stoneybatter buslane as free parking. Footpath parking remains common across Dublin. Parking in cycle lanes is reduced since covid but that's due to the bollards I'd reckon. There's also a corresponding uptick in cars parking in bus stops (because they're entitled to do that since the city took away their free cycle lane parking and the elderly or wheelchair users who depend on the bus reaching the kerb are clearly not as important as the car drivers' free door to door trip.). Amien Street bus lane still chocko block with parkers Thomas Street the same.

AlmightyCushion

cgcsb wrote: »

Illegal Parking Fines-

We've had 2 weeks now of theoretical parking fines without clamping aimed at illegal parkers in loading bays, bus/cycle lanes and footpaths. Has anybody noticed any imrpovement or otherwise?

In my view there has been no change at all, at least on the streets I see regularly. Cars are still using the Stoneybatter buslane as free parking. Footpath parking remains common across Dublin. Parking in cycle lanes is reduced since covid but that's due to the bollards I'd reckon. There's also a corresponding uptick in cars parking in bus stops (because they're entitled to do that since the city took away their free cycle lane parking and the elderly or wheelchair users who depend on the bus reaching the kerb are clearly not as important as the car drivers' free door to door trip.). Amien Street bus lane still chocko block with parkers Thomas Street the same.

It is still too soon for attitudes to change and I still think there is nowhere near enough enforcement for it to be effective. If you park illegally 100s of times a year and only get caught a few times then you've actually saved money on paying for parking. You would need to hit rate to be pretty high before it starts making a difference. If you get caught 1 in 100 times, you'll chance it. 1 in 3 or 4 times, better not risk it. Penalty points for illegal parking would definitely help as well.

Sam Russell

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

It is still too soon for attitudes to change and I still think there is nowhere near enough enforcement for it to be effective. If you park illegally 100s of times a year and only get caught a few times then you've actually saved money on paying for parking. You would need to hit rate to be pretty high before it starts making a difference. If you get caught 1 in 100 times, you'll chance it. 1 in 3 or 4 times, better not risk it. Penalty points for illegal parking would definitely help as well.

When clamping was first introduced, it was easy to find legal, paid for, parking in Dublin City centre. Prior to that it was next to impossible to find illegal parking, never mind legal parking.

The impact was immediate.

As you say, enforcement, and more particularly visible enforcement, has an immediate effect. The twitter machine would melt.

cgcsb

Just seems a bit of a damp squib considering the fanfare around it. Surely the initial days are crucial and there should be a massive blitz. Surely funding couldn't be an issue, if the enforcers opened their eyes they'd see hundreds, possibly thousands, of €40 fining opportunities, surely this is a revenue positive move?

If funding isn't an issue, what is? why does the city not want to enforce the existing law?

Thelonious Monk

Are we even sure what the law is because the council, the Garda, no one seems to know. The whole city would need to be redesigned if we were to ban cars from footpaths, streets would need to be made one way, roads widened etc.
I'm pretty sure I've seen statements from the Garda suggesting to park on footpaths if necessary so you're not blocking emergency vehicle access.
We are kidding ourselves if we ever think fines for parking on footpaths will ever be implemented, it wont, it can't given the car culture we have.

magicbastarder

was this posted already? from two weeks ago.

Council Committee Decides to Continue to Allow Some Parking on Footpaths
https://dublininquirer.com/2021/06/02/council-committee-decides-to-continue-to-allow-some-parking-on-footpaths

cgcsb

I seen that. Yes it's the dejour set up in many suburbs particularly those where you have 1920s to 1960s housing, small front gardens, narrow streets etc. I'm more concerned about this in the city centre and on main streets in suburbs. Why don't they want to stop it?

Thelonious Monk

cgcsb wrote: »

Why don't they want to stop it?

I would imagine most of them are motorists and see nothing wrong with it

Sam Russell

If the City Council want to allow parking on the pavement, they should mark it so that it is clear and unambiguous. A white line allowing 2m or 2.5 m clearance would do it. Pay parking is an alternative approach.

As for cars parked without tax, NCT, and valid insurance - well there are clear actions to be taken if that is the case.

Thelonious Monk

Sam Russell wrote: »

As for cars parked without tax, NCT, and valid insurance - well there are clear actions to be taken if that is the case.

One dumped on a footpath in my estate for at least a year with no tax. I've given up on reporting it to DCC as they just ignore. They are useless.

cgcsb

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

One dumped on a footpath in my estate for at least a year with no tax. I've given up on reporting it to DCC as they just ignore. They are useless.

You have to take the plates off and then call them to tow it away #lifehack

magicbastarder

i told him that two weeks ago, i guess he hasn't tried it yet.

cgcsb

magicbastarder wrote: »

i told him that two weeks ago, i guess he hasn't tried it yet.

Took me AAAAGGESS to figure that out only dawned on me when the rust was so bad that one plate had half fallen off on it's own.

bb1234567

https://twitter.com/st66dublin/status/1406256494182502410/photo/1

This stunning photo caught my eye on twitter..took me a second to even recognise it as Dublin!

magicbastarder

https://twitter.com/adamtranter/status/1407084599507927042

Thelonious Monk

magicbastarder wrote: »

i told him that two weeks ago, i guess he hasn't tried it yet.

No but noticed today that there's some kind of notice on it, pages of stuff in plastic coating, it must be some kind of warning. My complaining worked! To think in school they said I'd never amount to anything.

Thelonious Monk

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jun/22/welsh-government-to-suspend-all-future-road-building-plans

Welsh gov are to suspend all future road building. I wonder when we'll ever stop.

MJohnston

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jun/22/welsh-government-to-suspend-all-future-road-building-plans

Welsh gov are to suspend all future road building. I wonder when we'll ever stop.

I'd accept continuing to improve road connectivity to the north west of the island, because I think the environmental costs of that are massively outweighed by the societal benefits.

But we're not far off from that.

MJohnston

Probably also worth noting that Britain has had an extensive intercity motorway network for several decades longer than Ireland. That's not a reason we should continue if it's environmentally unsound, but it probably allows Wales more freedom to say they'll stop.

[Deleted User]

MJohnston wrote: »

Probably also worth noting that Britain has had an extensive intercity motorway network for several decades longer than Ireland. That's not a reason we should continue if it's environmentally unsound, but it probably allows Wales more freedom to say they'll stop.

Wales doesn't have an extensive motorway network.