LOCAL public representatives have voiced their opposition to a proposal to remove a well-known Northside landmark from one of the busiest routes into the city centre.
Dublin City Councillors were recently presented with draft plans for a new cycle route from Clontarf to Amiens Street.
As part of the project, there is a proposal to remove the pedestrian footbridge at Fairview and replace it with pedestrian operated signals.
Cllr Sean Haughey (FF), who represents the Clontarf Local Electoral Area (LEA), said he was concerned about the proposal, and believes there would be safety issues if the footbridge were to be removed.
“The metal footbridge in Fairview was refurbished in recent years at a cost of
?¬250,000,
? said Cllr Haughey.
“To remove it now would represent a complete waste of taxpayers’ money.
“In addition, many children attending nearby St Joseph’s CBS, St Joseph’s Boys’ National School and Marino College use this bridge on a daily basis to get to school and the park, and their safety would surely be compromised if the bridge is removed.
“The possibility of increased traffic congestion on this busy stretch of road with the installation of new traffic lights is also a worry.
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Cllr Haughey believes the case for the removal of this bridge has not been clearly stated.
“The safety of pedestrians as well as concerns about traffic congestion will have to addressed before I could allow these plans to progress to the planning application stage,
? he added.
Dublin Bay North TD Sean Kenny (Lab) has also expressed his opposition to the proposal.
“In my view this proposal does not make sense,
? said Deputy Kenny.
“It would slow down traffic on one the busiest routes into the city centre where there are bus lanes in both directions with a high level of traffic density including cars, cyclists, taxis, and buses.
“It is much safer for pedestrian to cross the existing footbridge rather than having to cross multiple lanes on foot.
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Deputy Kenny is calling on Dublin City Council to go back to the drawing board and consider alternatives to removing the footbridge.
“Local residents feel that the footbridge is part of the Fairview architecture,
? he added.
A spokesman for Dublin City Council confirmed that the issue was discussed at the North Central Area Committee meeting last week.
“The members have requested a report outlining the options on the matter,
? he told Northside People.
“These will be presented to them at an upcoming meeting.
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