So the balls-up has started since last night which makes Fairview from clontarf to Edges corner a single lane with bollards down the centre.
This will be a permanent feature and works will take 21 months.
There's still guys working the length of this project, so I'm pretty sure that they'll come back to fix it up.
not exact sure what all the workers are doing to be fair, I've seen them working on the wiring inside three different sets of lights, they've been grinding out the grout between some blocks, with another person ready to fill it back in immediately, and they've been digging out the drains again (I think some of them are getting blocked faster than they expected.)
It doesn't look nice though, that's definitely a problem.
How do you sort it out? Start charging for the parking closer to the venue? Sometimes there’s queues for both car parks. DCC seem to be clearing ground beside the overflow car park, so maybe that’ll be expanded.
Sort what out? Cars blocking the road/path? Surely it is for the drivers just not to block the road/path and that's it sorted. If there are already cars waiting to access the car park, don't queue up behind them, go somewhere else. Sorted.
Could say the same about the SuperValu on the Howth road. Traffic happens, it's a bit simplistic to just say "don't join the traffic jam and it'll go away"
I don't have an easy answer, WW obviously keeps trying to attract new members, but they don't have the parking to accomodate. It has to be on them to come up with a solution if there's any future planning permission. Should/can there be a cap on membership? Maybe they charge for parking at peak times to deter driving? Maybe swimming lessons and parties (non members) should be sold on the condition there's no parking?
Traffic queues are usually a lot worse for Westwood, than they are for Supervalu.
They don't care about traffic jams, as long as they are making money.
This isn't just "traffic" though (unless you consider cars sitting perpendicularly across lanes while trying to access private property to fall under the definition of standard traffic). These people are creating traffic issues, they are not the victim of it!
If there is something preventing a car from accessing a private premises, do you really think they are entitled to block public space until they can access the private premises? Just say "traffic happens" to anyone put out by this?
Westwood is notorious for lack of parking and most of those queuing to get into the car park do it at least once a week. People know the situation so there should be no excuses. Like I said; if there are already cars waiting to access the car park, don't queue up behind them, go somewhere else. Of course it's simplistic and a second car park exists for this reason.
I spotted this scrubland being cleaned up, and figured it might be for Westwood to extend their parking. Local Green Party councillor just noticed it too. https://x.com/donna_cooney1/status/1898377268797321328I
DCC have shown they don't really care about the space, so easy to see why Westwood just go ahead and do what they want with it.
Looking at google maps, and it looks fairly heavy handed alright.
Looks like DCC was never told about it, not a good look for Westwood!
Utterly disgraceful stuff by Westwood. Just pure and constant disdain for the community they're part of, they should be fined heavily and the council should punish them by removing all parking.
I'd hold station while we only have one side of the story here. It's not like DCC are a bastion of efficient communication. They may very well have received approval from someone in the their or they may have gone rogue but we don't know yet.
Will all those who were shouting loudly about the idea of felling of trees in Fairview for the cycle lane shout loudly about this?
Westwood didn't respond for comment to DublinInq, so I doubt that's the case
No comment is standard operating procedure for any business when contacted by the media. I wouldn't read too much into it.
I would say the answer to that is most certainly 'yes'.
Westwood seems to be run by clueless teenagers, so I wouldn't exactly say that's a smoking gun at all.
Most likely, Westwood are going to rely on the terms of the lease to defend themselves on this, and knowing DCC, I would say that there's loopholes aplenty in it. I'm less sympathetic to DCC on this actually, as Westwood have been engaging with them over the last few years, and as far as I can see, DCC has essentially told them that the traffic issues aren't their problem, and that Westwood has to sort it out on their own. Considering the lack of options, this was always going to be the likely result.
Nope. Not a word. It’s almost as if people who didn’t want a cycle lane were just using tree felling as an excuse.
If they have it leased are they entitled to butcher the trees?
The Dublin Inquirer article linked earlier says that they did not have permission.
Again though, it'll most likely come down to what's in the lease agreement. Without knowing what's in there, it's impossible to know exactly what rights they have, or have not, as may be the case.
Entirely possible that everything that Westwood has done is legal, if distasteful. For example, a lease agreement clause to "manage" the land would probably be enough to allow them to cut everything bar trees down.
The other thing I'd point out here is that the council itself are quite supportive of Westwood having this carpark, and I think that they'd have no objection to them expanding it either. Councillors, on the other hand, are not exactly on the same page.
In saying that, doing something that's basically guaranteed to cause massive outrage is not exactly the best way of going about something like this.
EDIT: Ah, just got access to the full article, and yeah, it seems Westwood don't really have a leg to stand on here. Bizarre stuff. Down a country lane, yeah, maybe you'd get away with it, but Clontarf is one of the worst areas for NIMBYs in Dublin
I'm no nimby but live nearby and am appalled. They already f*ck up traffic and buses in the area. I hope they pay a heavy price.
Expanding the car park would undoubtedly require planning permission so even if DCC have no objection to them expanding it, they will not be happy if Westwood are taking into that. Generally leases require property to be handed back in the same condition as it was handed over. If that's the case, Westwood certainly won't be able to achieve that now and I don't think ripping out a load of mature trees can be covered under dilapidations.
Plot twist: they don’t. Nothing happens.
Oh I know, but we've feck all trees in this country as is and they've done this.
Ah sure just plant a couple of saplings somewhere else, be grand.
https://citizenhub.dublincity.ie/report
Bit late to reply to this, but just in case anyone is looking to report anything to the council……
I think this was raised on this thread previously, but it looks like the council are looking into that van permanently parked on the footpath and being used as a bit of free advertising.
Probably be a long, drawn out, battle. Council have already admitted it's not their land. Wait and see how it plays out in court I guess. Maybe they'll just pay they guy off.
