Dublin’s Parliament Street to be pedestrianised from next week
Parliament Street in Dublin’s Temple Bar is set to go traffic-free from next Friday, July 4.
It is the third phase of the Dublin City Transport Plan to be rolled out, after restrictions to traffic on Bachelor’s Walk and Aston Quay, and making the turn left from Westland Row onto Pearse Street public-transport only.
To mark the changes, Dublin City Council (DCC) is holding a number of “family-friendly” events on every weekend next month, with a market planned for the first Friday.
While general traffic will not be allowed to travel down the street, vehicles will continue to cross it between Essex Street and Essex Gate, as they do today.
Business deliveries and local resident access will also be allowed to drive between 6am and 11am every day on the section between Essex Street and Lord Edward Street.
The Parliament Street changes herald significant improvements from a cyclist’s perspective, with two-way cycling now permitted on the street which will feed into an upcoming two-lane cycle track on the east side of Grattan Bridge.
The southern section of Capel Street between the quays and Strand Street Little will also feature a two-way cycle track on the eastern edge.
Taken together with cyclists travelling both ways on Capel Street, a new cycle link will be created between Dame Street and Bolton Street when the cycle lanes are built.
Works will begin on July 7 to develop interim improvements to the street, bringing it more in line with the changes seen on Capel Street.
These include raising the road to the existing kerb level between Essex Street and the quays, and introducing new seating, planting and renewed surfaces to the area.
In a public consultation conducted by DCC, 90 per cent of respondents were in favour of enhancing the public space and enabling two-way cycling on Parliament Street.
Many participants pointed to an increased vibrancy and atmosphere on Capel Street since the changes were introduced there in 2022.
The local authority said up to 23,000 pedestrians a day use Parliament Street.
According to a survey, 78 per cent of the people using the street are pedestrians, while 10 per cent are cyclists and 5 per cent are in their cars.
A further 5 per cent are in taxis, with a minor number of trucks and motorbikes making up the remainder.