Earlier in February 2024, Dublin Cycling Campaign hosted a special public meeting on the topic of the Future of Dublin city. In this article, Dublin Cycling Campaign member Miren Maialen Samper reports on the event.

Dublin Cycling Campaign’s monthly public meeting took place on Thursday 8th February, and it hosted Richard Guiney, CEO of Dublin Town which represents over 2,500 city centre businesses, and Brendan O’Brien, Traffic Manager with Dublin City Council.

Richard presented the latest data related to access to the city centre - i.e. how and who accesses the centre and what the broader transport trends are. These included the figures around the numbers of cyclists accessing the centre, and on the public’s support for cycling lanes and other cycling infrastructure such as more bike parking facilities. It was striking how many more people get to the centre by public transport than by car. Richard referred to the Dublin City Centre Transport Plan, which would see sections of the north and south quays reallocated for walking and cycling. He highlighted the importance of arranging workshops with business owners to address their concerns, as well as the need for more public engagement. As Richard pointed out, addressing climate change requires changes in lifestyle and, as per the active travel campaign from Dublin City Council, people must understand what is being done and why they are being asked to support it.

Brendan O’Brien referred to the consultation to restrict through motor traffic from driving through part of Dublin’s city centre. This is now expected to come into effect from August 2024. He also spoke more broadly about the concept of more motor traffic free civic spaces in the city centre and the need to reduce through motor traffic in order to improve the amenity value of the centre. Brendan mentioned that the overall plan for making the city safer for pedestrians and cyclists – and more efficient for public transport users – was welcomed by the majority of respondents. See details of the consultation here. Many people expressed concerns about how slow buses currently are and that they would be twice as fast if not getting caught in through traffic from taxis and private cars.

There were around 40 members and supporters of Dublin Cycling Campaign attending the monthly meeting in a packed room in Buswells Hotel. Úna Morrison, Chair of Dublin Cycling Campaign, introduced both speakers and chaired the questions and answers session. There was a positive atmosphere at the meeting, with both new faces and existing members sharing their thoughts and asking questions to Richard and Brendan.

Following the meeting, attendees stayed on for refreshments and further conversations about the issues raised.

Finally, I want to acknowledge the work of Dublin Cycling Campaign’s Executive Committee - and Colm Walsh and Rebecca Wogan in particular - in organising this meeting.

Note that details of Dublin Cycling Campaign’s next public meeting will be posted to https://www.dublincycling.com/ very soon.