City Hall calls for patience on Patrick St car ban

CITY HALL has urged traders to be patient with the Patrick Street car ban after calls have already been made to scrap the scheme. The City Council has come under fire for its partial ban on private cars on Patrick Street, between the hours of 3pm and 6.30pm each day. The ban was introduced two weeks ago to improve public transport but has already been described as damaging to city traders. Cork Business Association chief executive Lawrence Owens said things are only going to get worse when the Easter holidays end and children return to school. The CBA chief said the City Council should be making it easier for customers to come into the city and highlighted the fact that the Gardaí, who are currently manning the roads surrounding Patrick Street between 3-6pm, will not always be there and questioned what would happen when their presence is removed.

Read the full article @ Evening Echo

Cyclists call for patience with city centre car ban

CORK cyclists have welcomed the new traffic restrictions on Patrick Street and have urged concerned traders to give it a chance. Cork Cycling Campaign say they sympathise with the corners of traders and motorists regarding the ban but pointed to the success of the largely pedestrianised Oliver Plunkett Street as a reason for optimism. The changes kicked in just over two weeks ago and restrict access to the city's main shopping street between 3pm and 6.30pm daily. It has been met with vocal concerns from city businesses, who claim that it will deter people from coming into the city centre, in particular in the context of the removal of parking spaces from a number of other areas in the city centre. City Hall has moved to calm fears, pointing to the large volume of available parking in areas such as North Main Street car park. A statement issued by Cork Cycling Campaign said that there is very limited parking on Patrick Street and, therefore, it should make little difference to those coming into the city.

Read the full article @ Evening Echo

Traffic ban causing chaos according to Cork traders

Since opening in 1860, Fitzgerald’s Menswear on Patrick Street in Cork has managed to weather wars, uprisings and recessions. But the store’s managing director fears it is now facing the biggest challenge yet – a daily driving ban on the street from 3pm to 6.30pm. Eddie Mullins said it felt as if Cork City Council was causing “death by a thousand cuts” with the introduction of the scheme, under which traffic on Patrick Street will be limited to buses, taxis, bicycles and emergency vehicles for 3½ hours a day.

Read the full article @ The Irish Times

Traders oppose reopening main street

TRADERS ON Sligo’s main street are almost unanimously opposed to the plan to reopen the pedestrianised street to traffic, it has emerged.

Campaigners have urged members of Sligo Borough Council not to proceed with the plan, saying the “vast majority” of the public is opposed to it. The street was pedestrianised three years ago.

Mayor of Sligo Cllr Jim McGarry has indicated that traffic will be back on the main street by Christmas – a move that has the backing of all elected members on the council.

However, Gerry Conway, of the O’Connell Street Traders’ Association, said that all but two of the 30 or so businesses on the street had signed a petition asking that it remain pedestrianised. He urged councillors to rethink the issue, saying that traders had not been consulted. He believes councillors are abandoning “a vision for Sligo” and putting nothing in its place.

Séamus Kealy, director of the Model Arts Centre in Sligo, who has been a strong critic of the councillors’ plan, said 2,000 people had signed a petition urging councillors not to reopen O’Connell Street to traffic. While it was being presented as a fait accompli, members of the public still had a right to make submissions on the new draft development plan and to have their say on whether pedestrianisation should be dropped, he said.

A spokeswoman for Sligo Borough Council confirmed that submissions on any aspect of the draft Sligo and Environs Development Plan 2010 to 2016 can be received until Wednesday, September 16th.

By Friday, 20 submissions had been received on the O’Connell Street issue, she said, but given that the bulk of submissions are normally received close to deadline, this figure could change considerably.

Last May members of the council voted unanimously to direct the county manager to reopen the street to traffic, saying that the €4.5 million estimated cost of environmental enhancement works would not be available in the foreseeable future. They also expressed concern about the impact of the current situation on residents in the east ward who, they said, had been cut off from the rest of the town.

Mr Conway said he did have sympathy with this community but believed that it should be possible for the engineers to come up with a solution without putting traffic back on O’Connell street. “Sligo could be another Kilkenny,” he said.

Mr Kealy said it would be “highly unusual” and a retrograde step to unpedestrianise an urban area, given the international experience that more green areas, urban pathways and walking spaces enhance public life while boosting tourism, civic health and economic diversity.

While there was room for further aesthetic improvements, it had taken four years to complete similar projects on Dublin’s Grafton Street and Shop Street, Galway, he said.

Mr McGarry said that the 12 elected members on the council supported the reopening of the street. They believed the people of the east ward had been “seriously disenfranchised” and that journeys which should take them five minutes now took up to 45 minutes.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

EPA warns of rise in NO2 levels as traffic increases

POLLUTION FROM nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and fine dust particles, damaging to people’s lungs, could rise in Ireland’s urban areas with further increases in traffic, according to the latest air quality report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Air Quality in Ireland 2007, compiled by EPA researcher Barbara O’Leary, shows that all monitoring stations throughout the State met EU standards.

However, levels of particulate matter (PM10) were relatively high in smaller towns due to continued use of bituminous coal.

The release of the report yesterday was timed to coincide with European Mobility Week, which runs until September 22nd. This year’s theme is “Clean Air for All” a goal threatened here mainly by traffic and the use of smoky fuel in smaller urban areas.

EPA programme manager Dr Ciarán O’Donnell said: “What our results for 2007 show is that there is a strong link between air quality and local emissions. Traffic and smoky fuel are the two main causes of poor air quality in Ireland.”

Given high levels of traffic in Dublin and other cities and the continued burning of bituminous coal in areas where its sale is not banned, he said the public should “consider the environmental effects of their choice of domestic fuel and mode of transport”.

NO2 and PM10 were the main pollutants. NO2 levels were highest in the most urbanised areas, mainly due to traffic density. Particulates were highest in cities and smaller towns, probably due to traffic density in cities and use of non-smokeless fuel in smaller towns.

PM10 levels have fallen significantly at Winetavern Street in Dublin since 1998 and are now similar to those measured in Rathmines, possibly due to changes in traffic patterns, according to the report.

“The threat of exceeding the [EU] limit value [35 days greater than 50 microgrammes per cubic metre] remains a possibility at these and other locations affected by emissions from traffic or from solid-fuel burning should unfavourable weather conditions occur.”

Although there was “no discernible change” in NO2 concentrations at Winetavern Street and Old Station Road in Cork, the report warned that higher levels in urban areas “have the potential to pose a threat to compliance with the annual limit value.”

Black-smoke concentrations in Dublin, Limerick and Cork have fallen dramatically since the 1990s, reflecting the effectiveness of smoke-control legislation introduced in greater Dublin in 1990 which banned the marketing, sale and distribution of bituminous coal.

The ban on bituminous coal came into force in Cork city in 1995 and in Arklow, Drogheda, Dundalk, Limerick and Wexford in 1998. It was extended to Celbridge, Galway, Leixlip, Naas and Waterford in 2000 and to Bray, Kilkenny, Sligo and Tralee in 2003.

Sulphur dioxide concentrations have declined significantly since the early 1990s due to the more widespread use of smokeless coal as well as the lower sulphur content of fuels generally, and consumers switching from solid fuel to oil or gas for heating.

Benzene levels in Dublin and Cork have also decreased significantly since 2001 and are now “well within the [EU] limit value which comes into force in 2010”, the report says, mainly because of a reduction in the average benzene concentration in petrol to 0.7 per cent. Lead concentrations have been very low since leaded petrol was phased out in 2000.

The Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Restrictions on cars in city centre may be permanent

RESTRICTIONS ON private cars in Dublin city centre, to be introduced for rail works, may become permanent, John Henry, chairman of the Dublin Transportation Office (DTO), suggested yesterday.

"It is necessary to have restrictions while construction is going on but I would like to see a more permanent solution, to make the city centre a much friendlier place to do business," Mr Henry said.

A congestion charge, such as the one introduced in London city centre, will be one of the solutions for traffic control that will be considered in the future, Mr Henry said.

The traffic management plan will not be introduced until 2010, before works on Metro North, Luas extensions and the underground interconnector begin, Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey said yesterday at the launch of a public consultation on a new transport strategy for Dublin from 2010 until 2030.

This is despite an earlier target of April 2009 recently proposed by Frank Fahey, chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Transport.

"We need to have a plan in place well in advance of construction starting rather than just reacting to construction," Mr Henry said, adding that he would prefer to see the restrictions in place up to a year in advance of the works in order to get the city streets under control.

Proposals would restrict private cars in O'Connell Street, Westmoreland Street, College Green and Dame Street and would see cross-city traffic diverted onto a proposed new bridge between Marlborough Street and Hawkins Street.

"It won't be an entirely car-free city centre as people still have to do business but traffic that has no need to be there should find an alternative route," he said.

"We are not talking about banning traffic in the city centre but rerouting it," Mr Henry said, adding that he is confident it can be achieved with a bit of courage.

While disruption in the city centre is inevitable during the construction, Mr Dempsey said the way disruption is managed is important, such as planning works to take place in different places at different times.

"Trying to provide a world-class public transport system does entail some inconvenience and disruption," he said.

He also wants to ensure Dublin city centre will be clearly promoted as being open for business during the expected disruption.

He was launching the first part of the consultation, seeking the public's vision for transport in the greater Dublin area until 2030.

A draft vision and objectives for Dublin have already been developed following consultation with local politicians, community groups and businesses.

This draft vision defines Dublin as "a competitive, vibrant, city-region of inclusive and engaged communities, proud of its heritage and its national and European roles, and looking to the future, where an improved quality of life for all is guided by the principle of sustainability."

Draft objectives include: strengthening communities, improving its economic competitiveness, improving accessibility, improving governance and attractiveness of the public realm, respecting the environment and reducing stress in the lives of citizens.

Members of the public interested in giving their views on the future shape of transport in the greater Dublin area have until June 30th to answer an online questionnaire at www.2030vision.ie; e-mail their views to consult@dto.ie or send their opinions by post to: 2030 Vision, Block 2, West Pier Business Campus, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Plans to make Dublin city centre car-free

Large areas of Dublin city centre could be closed to private traffic within a year under radical new proposals to tackle congestion.

The Joint Oireachtas transport committee has developed a draft report recommending that a number of key streets be prioritised for buses.

These include O’Connell, Dame and Westmoreland Streets along with College Green and the closures could be in place by next April.

Committee chairman Frank Fahey of Fianna Fail claimed the scheme was workable and that traffic management measures would be put in place.

“We decided bus transport, a reliable high frequency bus service can effectively deal with traffic congestion in Dublin in the short term,” he said.

“There will be traffic management measures put in place to ensure proper circulation.

“What we have put forward is a short term action plan to be implemented in 2008/2009, so that by next April this plan for traffic being banned would be put in place,” he told RTE radio.

Mr Fahey said drivers from Dublin Bus had addressed the Committee on the difficulties they face in getting through the capital’s clogged streets.

He added if the public was to be encouraged to use public transport bus priority measures must be established.

Traffic measures are to be put in place to help smooth the transition to a car-free zone, with the construction of two new bridges over the Liffey, one at Macken Street and another at either Hawkins Street or Marlborough Street.

A similar plan could be rolled out for Galway, Cork, Waterford and Limerick.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Traffic ban proposed for Dublin city centre

Parts of Dublin city centre could be closed to traffic within 12 months, under a radical plan to tackle the capital’s congestion problem.

Under the new bus strategy, from the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport, a ‘‘bus gate’’ would be created at College Green by April 2009. This would lead to private traffic being banned from O’Connell Street , Dame Street, College Green and Westmoreland Street.

Two temporary steel bridges would be erected at Macken Street and Hawkins Street or Marlborough Street, to ensure a traffic flow. Dublin City Council has told the committee that such bridges could be lifted into place within three months, with bus priority lanes created.

The Sunday Business Post also understands that 350 new buses would be subcontracted from the private sector. And some routes currently serviced by both Dublin Bus and the private sector would be given exclusively to the private sector.

The bus strategy, which was passed by the 15-member committee last Thursday, will be finalised next week, before it is presented to transport minister Noel Dempsey. Other proposals in the report include:

* increasing cash fares to encourage use of a smartcard, which Dublin Bus said it could introduce by December

* extending Railway Order legislation to include Quality Bus Corridors (QBCs)

* allowing buses and taxis to use the port tunnel at a reduced rate

* converting some motorway hard shoulders to QBCs.

The aim of the bus strategy is to increase, from 20 per cent to 80 per cent, the number of commuters who travel to the city by bus.

A major marketing campaign of bus transport would be required to reverse the current trend, according to the draft strategy, and increase passengers from 148 million to 200 million.

The Dublin Transport Office is envisaged to have a role in the introduction of workplace travel plans to all city centre private and public employers, as part of any such campaign.

Sunday Business Post

www.buckplanning.ie

Commuters targeted as luxury double-deckers launched

LUXURY continental-style double-decker coaches aimed at commuter belt towns are set to hit the streets next year.


Bus Éireann confirmed yesterday it will be taking delivery of a fleet of 32 VDL Berkhof Axial 100 double-deck coaches on a phased basis from next year.

Most will be allocated to the eastern region for use on the Navan-Dublin route, where most commuters travel up to 100 kilometres a day.

However, eight will be introduced in Cork, company spokeswoman Erica Roseingrave said.




While the Cork routes have not been decided, it is likely that commuters living in towns like Midleton, Carrigaline and Ballincollig will benefit.

Bus Éireann said its decision to buy the new 78-seater 12.9 litre coaches was prompted by the growing phenomenon of long-distance commuting.

The hybrid vehicles are geared specifically at these commuters.

They are designed to combine the carrying capacity of a double-deck bus with the comfort and smoother ride associated with a coach. Built by Dutch manufacturer VDL, delivery is scheduled to start on a phased basis from spring 2008.

The coaches are fully wheelchair accessible, energy-efficient and biofuel compatible. They have larger than standard luxury leather seats with a recline option, they have more leg room and more extras such as individual overhead air vents and reading lights.

The cabin is air-conditioned with tinted double glazing, noise levels are lower than on a bus and security is enhanced with an 11-camera CCTV system.

“We are seeing very large volumes of people commuting incredibly long distances into cities,” said Ms Roseingrave. “Over longer distances, people like more comfort and our new double-deck coaches are specially designed for a more relaxing journey.”

Bus companies in Britain have introduced similar double-deck coaches to service long distance commuters living in Kent and working in London.

Irish Examiner

www.buckplanning.ie

Inner city motorists face bigger fuel bill

MOTORISTS in the inner cities are facing a growing shortage of petrol stations, leading to fears they could be forced to pay over the odds for fuel.

Developers are snapping up city petrol stations so they can build houses on the plots, leading to a shortage of garages and reduced competition.

Now AA Ireland, which campaigns for motorists, is concerned that a lack of competition in urban areas is affecting consumer choice.

“This is a growing concern of ours and the lack of competition is not good for motorists,” said AA Ireland spokesman Conor Faughnan.

“It’s difficult to say with any accuracy if urban motorists are having to pay more for fuel but choice is diminishing and that’s not a good thing.”

City petrol stations are closing because the owners can make more money from selling the land to developers than from selling petrol on tight profit margins, he said.

The average price of a litre of unleaded petrol is now 115.9c while diesel is 108.5c, according to the AA Ireland’s latest survey of prices at the pump.

Yet motorists nationwide can find petrol as low as 110.9c and as high as 120.9c as fuel prices have been unregulated in Ireland since 1993.

Mr Faughnan said: “Prices will vary by around 10c and we’re not too concerned about that as long as the consumer has choice.

“But with relatively few service stations in urban areas there is no incentive (for stations to compete) and that has a negative effect on prices and the consumer’s ability to shop around.”

Based on the AA’s average petrol prices, a family will spend around 173.85 a month on a typical saloon car.

By using the cheapest stations they could cut that bill to 166.35, a saving of 7.50 a month or 90 a year.

But by filling up at the costliest stations they would pay 181.35, which works out at 15 a month or 180 annually more expensive than the best deals.

Now AA Ireland is advising drivers to beat high prices by planning ahead when buying fuel and ensuring they never run low.

Motorists are advised to get to know the locations of the cheapest garages and fill up in advance as the lack of stations in urban areas could leave drivers stranded or out of pocket.

“Rather than waiting for the tank to run low and then have to fill up at an expensive place it makes more sense to plan your petrol and buy early if you can,” he said.

One solution to the disappearance of urban filling stations could be the introduction of unmanned self-service pumps as used in France.

At the fuel stops, which have just one or two pumps and take up less space, drivers fill up their cars, pay by bank card and then drive off.

Irish Examiner

City commuters spend 10 hours a week at the wheel

COMMUTERS into Dublin are forced to spend, on average, nearly 10 hours - the equivalent of almost a day-and-a-half's working time - behind the wheel every week.

And the journey was made even more stressful for many drivers yesterday after a truck overturned.

The gridlock on the N7 Naas Road spread quickly to the notorious M50, causing tailbacks stretching for miles.

Plan

The Automobile Association (AA) warned that such incidents were happening on an almost weekly basis and would continue unless public transport improved.

The Dublin Chamber of Commerce has outlined a new five-point traffic plan that includes more private buses, park-and-ride facilities and 24-hour work on the M50 upgrade project.

The organisation revealed that commuters were spending 10 hours a week stuck in Dublin's traffic.

"This situation is unsustainable for the hundreds and thousands of people working and living in Dublin, and it has got to the stage where urgent decisions are needed," said Gina Quinn, the chamber's chief executive.

Its plan, published yesterday, entails:

* Increasing the number of buses serving the Dublin region by 200 within a year. Private operators should be given unfettered access to the city immediately, particularly for new routes not covered by Dublin Bus.

* Work on the M50 extension for 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure completion ahead of schedule.

* Accelerated progress on all Transport 21 projects so they are ready for procurement by the end of 2008, if resources permit. This will require that the NRA, RPA and CIE be adequately resourced, perhaps by the deployment of public servants from other state agencies and bodies such as local authorities.

* Building 3,000 park-and-ride spaces for DART and bus users on land in public ownership.

* Requiring all secondary schools to provide a bus service for their pupils from September next year. This service should be tendered. As a Public Service Obligation may arise, some routes should be subsidised if the need is demonstrated.

These proposals were little solace for the thousands of motorists stuck in their cars for at least an extra hour yesterday after the truck overturned on the outbound lane of the N7 beside the Red Cow roundabout. Most delays are on the inbound routes.

The 40ft heavy goods vehicle brought traffic to a standstill across west Dublin from 6am, when it lost control at the notorious junction. The mayhem was further increased when another truck broke down only 100 yards away. Garda teams had to divert traffic around the overturned articulated lorry and traffic along the N7 was backed up past Rathcoole.

The truck driver had a lucky escape when a metal barrier prevented the cab from collapsing fully on to the road. Part of the barrier pierced the front of the 40ft container as the truck flipped over, and skewered some radiators that the lorry was transporting.

Airbags were then placed under the trailer in an effort to push it into an upright position. A large diesel spillage from the tractor unit was treated with absorbent material. As crews worked to prevent traffic chaos, a second truck travelling in the same direction broke down a hundred yards behind the overturned lorry, stretching the resources of the gardai and towing services. The tailbacks grew as rush-hour approached.

One driver who left Newbridge at 6.25am did not arrive in the city centre until 8.45am - a two-hour, 20-minute journey. "This was yet another traffic disaster," said AA corporate affairs manager Conor Faughnan. "They are coming thick and fast, on an almost weekly basis."

He predicted that completion of the M50 upgrade would make the area less vulnerable to the gridlock caused by crashes.

Olivia Mitchell, Fine Gael transport spokesperson, said there was an urgent need for a city-wide congestion strategy including year-round Operation Freeflow.

Treacy Hogan
Irish Independent

Limerick, you're a lay-by: traffic plan may hit commerce

CHANGES to the traffic flow system in the southern suburbs of Limerick city to be introduced when the new tunnel is completed could negatively effect commercial activity in the area.

The Roxboro shopping centre, the Galvone industrial estate and the city's new Quality Hotel could all suffer a falloff in trade if proposed changes to exit routes off the southern ring road are introduced, a city councillor has warned. A plan to prohibit motorists' access to Childers Road from the ring road at the former Krups exit will lengthen journey times and force some drivers to negotiate the city centre before they can access the Southill area.

"This would have a severe negative impact on businesses in the area including the new Quality Hotel, one of whose principle selling points is the ease of access from the ring road. That access would be gone under these proposals, " warns Fine Gael councillor Diarmuid Scully.

"The hotel is in a fantastic location . . . currently. However, when the new traffic plan is introduced anyone travelling to the hotel from Shannon airport will have to drive through heavy city centre traffic adding up to an hour to their journey time.

"It will have a major detrimental effect on the Roxboro Shopping Centre too. And the Galvone Industrial Estate will be similarly affected, " he says.

"Because access is easy at the moment, large numbers of people from rural areas drive in to do their shopping at the centre.

"That easy access will now be lost. These changes will be happening after a lot of effort has gone into trying to revitalise the industrial estate following years of decline."

The changes to the trafficflow system are due to come into effect when the construction of the tunnel is complete sometime within the next three years. That project also involves the construction of approximately 10km of new dual carriageway, along with associated link roads and side roads.

The tunnel scheme will incorporate a fourth crossing of the Shannon in the environs of Limerick city. This crossing will involve an immersed tube tunnel, linking the townland of Coonagh, on the northern bank, with the townland of Bunlicky on the southern bank of the river. In this aspect, it will be similar to the Jack Lynch Tunnel in Cork where immersed tube technology was used for the first time in Ireland. The scheme also involves the construction of a new dual carriageway and four grade-separated junctions.

The scheme has been developed by Limerick County Council in association with Limerick City Council, Clare County Council and the National Roads Authority.

"We anticipate the tunnel having a positive impact on the city's retail sector, " says John Buckley of Sherry FitzGerald O'Malley. "It will take away all the traffic headed for Galway which at the moment passes along O'Connell Street, the main thoroughfare. That alone will make the city centre a more attractive place to shop and do business. As well as that, it will open up tracts of land for future development out around the Coonagh Cross shopping centre."

The 260m tunnel won the European PPP Deal of the Year and Project Finance Deal of the Year 2007 awards in international competitions.

Councillor Scully has made his concerns regarding traffic flow changes known to the transportation committee of Limerick city council. He told director of services Pat Dromey that regeneration plans for Southill were predicated on attracting investment into the area by taking advantage of its excellent geographic location on the main access routes to Dublin, Cork and Galway.

Dromey has promised a special meeting of the committee to discuss the issue further.

Sunday Tribune

Car Sharing Scheme - Cork City

In order to improve occasional access to a car for people who don't want to own one - or who want to replace a second family car - Cork City Council Traffic Division are planning to set-up a car sharing scheme in the city.

These schemes - also known as Car Clubs - have been operating successfully in many parts of continental Europe, the UK and the US for many years.

Once subscribed to the scheme, people can have access to a car they need at short notice. The use is charged by the hour or by mileage. Vehicles are located at several car sharing stations throughout the city.

In this way, car sharing provides a more convenient and flexible access to a vehicle, compared to traditional car rentals and is meant for those who need to get a car more frequently - but not on a daily basis.