Dun Laoghaire Traffic & Commuting Chat

I never thought in my life I would vote for a PBP candidate but Melissa Halpin was very impressive at that meeting, a rock of sense.

So now we are left with a situation where you cant drive, cycle, scoot, take a bus or taxi to exit the main street out of the town, if trouble kicks off there is no way to get quickly out of the area.

we have a hospital in the centre of the town and a very busy bus stop will be gone.

There needs to be highly subsidised parking in DL, that is the only way shops will survive, a friend spent over 11 euros in Tesco parking recently, she wont be returning in a hurry, thats hideously expensive, people hate paying for parking, they will drive miles out of their way to avoid it.

DL is now going , to be competing with retail offerings in cherrywood as well as Dundrum, Bray will soon be a better retail location too.

This plan is so short sighted,very sad really, its hard to think what to do but all day parking for two euros would help and counteract the impression that DL is now no go area for drivers.

Why would people leave the seafront to sit in Georges st, at least three of the shop units are charity shops so not open on sundays, the rest arent exactly enticing, as I said most pedestrian traffic is heading to Tescos.

If I go to Bray I go to walk the seafront, the vast majority of people on DL seafront on sunday have no i interest in shopping, the cyclists most definitely wont cycle up that hill to the town, turn left and you are on cobblelock road surface, turn right and you have to get off your bike with the multitudes milling around pedestrianised Georges St!!!!!!

You then have to either walk your bike through the pedestrians or else cycle back down the hill and somehow make your way into a two way cycle lane with traffic jams everywhere.

If you cycle via Monkstown Road you will need your wits about you as this road is horrendous now, you have a painted line as your space but the space left for cars is so narrow the range rovers will be on top of you.

But sure look we need to close Tivoli Road, it has a special status😳😳😳😳

Will be a lot of outdoor drinking there when the sun shines, A and E staff all around the country will tell you the results of that.

I didnt hear much talk in the marathon meeting about Garda input into the plans, eg have they the manpower to provide Gardai, public order units on stand by, what is the plan for Georges St at night now that the passive security of buses, taxis, cars will be gone.

Many women are afraid to use public spaces, cant believe the number who wont even go into a park after dark, there was no focus on public safety at all, no talk of plans for Myrtle SQ at night, is it just an empty space at night now.

whats been amplfied is the voice of cycling fundamentalists and they are without exception male, we cant reorganise public space to suit male cyclists without reassuring women that measures will be taken to ensure they wont be attacked.

And as I said this issue was only briefly raised by one female councillor and there was no reassurance given at all.

Moaning that you couldnt possible cycle a bike because your skirt is too long is the feeblest excuse ever.

And comparing this with saying passive security of cars buses and taxis wont make public areas unsafe and unappealing to women.

Again, what are the plans for MyrtleSq and Georges St going forward, what use will be made of Georges St at night seeing as my bus service from it will be gone.

Surely those advocating for this change have suggestions to capitalise on this space.