Cities around the world that are reducing car access

No doubt they'll judge on the side of the person contesting the pedestrianisation, but I think Ireland is feeling like a lost cause

https://www.thejournal.ie/malahide-fingal-county-council-pedestrianised-new-street-high-court-5518991-Aug2021/

Lyle Langley laughing all the way to the bank after selling those yokes to CCC.

For the cost of just one of those things, they could easily have repaved the entire street to ban private vehicles, make more room for bikes and pedestrians, and plant multiple mature real trees.

"Greenwashing", I like that.

Yes they are a bad idea. An absolutely terrible idea. That claim of 200 trees has never been verified and is only coming from the manufacturer. They also require electricity to operate and thousands of litres of water to be pumped into them as well as annual maintenance. Any possible benefit is immediately offset by that. Furthermore €380k would buy you c.7,000 or so native Irish trees of 2 to 4 metres in height. Trees don't need electricity or pumped water and require very little maintenance also. They are also beneficial for birds and insects and provide shade and reduce temperatures of exposed concrete/tarmac in built up areas. Those robo trees offer none of those benefits.

There is no truth to the 200 tree claim. Examiner even said the manufacturer had withdrawn that claim as there was no scientific basis to it. NEWSFLASH for you: Trees use rain water that falls from the sky. These things need a pumped supply of water that uses energy. Totally incomparable.

Here's an article from the Netherlands where they installed these things in 2018 in Amsterdam to great fanfare. They were removed a year later due to being ineffective and actually turned out the fans inside them increased the circulation of dust and particulates. They ultimately removed less than 1% of what was promised. The moss inside also died and had to be replaced - not very green is it.

But the experiment turned into a failure. Experts from the GGD and Wageningen University calculated that the City Trees provided less than 1 percent less particulate matter. Because the moss panels suck in air and blow it out again in one direction, they give not less but more nitrogen dioxide along the facades of valkenburgerstraat.

If these robo trees could actually pull 240 tons of CO2 a year they'd collapse in a massive heap under the weight of that.

I was on Patrick's Street in Cork today, pretty much all private vehicles. I knew the "ban" wasn't working, but didn't realise it was quite as bad as it is.

What's funny is that ballsbridge was destroyed decades ago by the 6 lane motorway going through the heart of it. But a cycle lane ruins everything. Some people can't be let out on their own, no logical capacity.

It's because they themselves drive everywhere so they assume everyone else drives everywhere also.

Seeing councillors supporting this nonsense is disappointing but not in the least bit surprising.

And their reasoning?

From reading about it, the pedestrianisation was a temporary Covid measure. Now that the pandemic's effects are easing, the temporary measure is ending.

Have you heard their radio ads lately?

Similar to Ennis, I'd like to think they're sticking rigidly to the 'temporary' aspect of the Covid measures, and will reinstate it as permanent in some form later. Otherwise, as you allude, court cases such as the Strand Road trial (which was blocked because the judge didn't think a successful trial would be temporary) will continue to happen.

You complete the trial and revert to prior arrangements while you review the data. If the review is positive you re-implement on a permanent basis. Otherwise you end up in court for pretending your implementation was temporary.