Comment: Cllr Ciaran Cuffe
IT’S time to give back College Green to the citizens of Dublin.
For far too long, College Green has been dominated by traffic and noise and pollution from cars, trucks and buses. Of course, this plan should happen for environmental reasons and also so that we can hear ourselves speak over the sound of trucks and buses.
But there are other reasons why we should be doing this: it will make the area safer for all road users and will allow for people to travel through the city centre.
Many people don’t realise that cars take up lots of valuable road space. The best way to move the maximum number of people through the city is using public transport, footpaths and bicycles.
A redesigned College Green will have space for almost 1,000 more people per hour than the current congested roads can carry. There still needs to be space for taxis and cars, but maybe they shouldn’t be given the most valuable road space.
We did something similar 35 years ago when we pedestrianised Grafton Street and there was a similar outcry back then. Traders feared a loss in sales and Dublin Bus worried about losing passengers.
Cities must adapt and change if they are to survive. With the rise in online retailing and out-of-town shopping centres, we must ensure that Dublin city centre is an attractive place to visit for people of all ages and abilities.
By taking much of the traffic out of College Green we’ll give a bit of breathing room back to the city. There’ll be space for an ice-rink or Christmas market in December; a fountain that children can play in during the summer months; and maybe space for a giant céilí during St Patrick’s Week.
It is crucial that the demands of car park owners and operators do not dominate the discussion. For far too long, the car lobby has allowed Dublin city centre to be choked with noise, fumes and traffic. It is now time for the citizens’ voices to be heard. Thirty years ago, naysayers said the city would grind to a halt if we took cars and buses out of Grafton Street. It is now a major success story.
As the city grows in population, it is time we allocated more space to the pedestrians and cyclists. The College Green plaza will speed up pedestrian flows in the city centre and improve safety for cyclists.
It is time to give the plans the green light. It is fitting that the pedestrian is finally given some breathing room and space to linger in the heart of the city.
Ciarán Cuffe is a Green Party Dublin city councillor and chairs Dublin City’s Transportation Strategic Policy Committee.