Public consultation on the traffic-free scheme on Dublin’s Capel Street, which has been in operation since May, has been initiated by Dublin City Council.
Capel Street residents, local businesses and the public are invited to submit their views via a short survey.
The survey asks people to give feedback on how the project has affected their experience of the street and suggest improvements.
The traffic exclusion zone stretches for 400m from Parnell Street and Ryder’s Row at its northern end, to Strand Street in the south, making Capel Street the longest traffic-free street in the city, ahead of Grafton Street and Henry Street.
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Car parking has been removed from the street and through traffic has been banned. Deliveries are permitted from 6am-11am daily, after which bollards will prevent entry.
The Luas line crosses the street at Abbey Street and traffic will be allowed to also cross at this point but only in an east to west direction.
The pedestrian zone ends at Strand Street, with the area between Panti Bar and Jack Nealon’s pub to the quays remaining open to traffic. This will facilitate the creation of a new pedestrian plaza on nearby Liffey Street, which the council said required the use of this part of Capel Street for an exit route for traffic. It will also allow apartment residents on Strand Street to drive to the quays.
Unlike Grafton Street and Henry Street, Capel Street remains open to cyclists, but footpaths will be retained and pedestrians “will have priority” in the roadway, according to the council.
Since the street was made traffic-free, there has been a 12 per cent increase in pedestrian numbers and a 20 per cent increase in cyclists, the council said. Public consultation will continue for four weeks.
