Drugs, drink and crime are worst things about Dublin, survey shows

DRUG ABUSE, drink-fuelled anti-social behaviour and crime are the worst things about living in Dublin, a city council survey of more than 2,000 people has found.

The survey, conducted over a three-month period among people living, working or studying in Dublin, showed a positive attitude towards major infrastructural projects such as the Luas, port tunnel and Dublinbikes rental scheme.

Yet dissatisfaction with public transport was ranked as the third worst thing about living in Dublin, after issues relating to crime and public order and litter.

An “opinion panel” of 2,300 people representing the greater Dublin population – 86 per cent of whom were Irish and 67 per cent from Dublin – were asked for their views on all aspects of Dublin life.

More than 70 per cent of residents said they would rather live in Dublin than anywhere else in Ireland and almost 90 per cent said Dublin was a good place to work or study. However, fewer than one-third said they felt safe in the city centre at night, and a similar number had negative perceptions of the cleanliness or environmental friendliness of the city.

People were asked to describe, unprompted, the worst thing about Dublin. Fears in relation to the levels of crime and drug and alcohol abuse ranked worst with one in three people surveyed. More than one in six people specifically mentioned drugs or “junkies” in their responses.

Jamie Cudden, research manager with the council, said many panellists reported open drug use was having a serious impact on the image of the city, and they were particularly worried about the number of drug addicts and beggars with babies, the prevalence of drug dealers in tourist areas and the lack of visibility of gardaí.

Dirt was the second worst thing about Dublin and was the greatest concern among almost one in six surveyed. Just under one-third of respondents said the city centre was clean and tidy. When asked to elaborate people made particular mention of vomit and litter on the streets and a lack of pride among Dubliners in the city’s appearance.

Dissatisfaction with public transport and traffic came third and fourth in the list of worst things about Dublin. The lack of infrastructure and integrated public transport systems and the unreliability of public transport were highlighted. However, people expressed a high level of satisfaction with existing infrastructure.

The Luas was most popular, with 98 per cent stating it had a positive or very positive impact on the city. The council’s Dublinbikes bicycle rental scheme followed closely behind at 95 per cent satisfaction, while the same percentage said the completion of the M50 was positive or very positive. The port tunnel also had a high positive rating at 89 per cent.

In relation to planned projects, the expansion of the bike scheme was the most popular, with 95 per cent support, followed by Metro North at 85 per cent and sourcing water from the Shannon for Dublin at 74 per cent. There was a “lukewarm” reception, Mr Cudden said, to plans for a directly elected mayor, with just 54 per cent of people having a positive reaction to the idea and one in three unsure of what impact it would have.

The opinion panel was asked for suggestions to improve Dublin. While many of these were general focusing on improving safety, the environment and transport, specific suggestions included turning Smithfield plaza into a permanent street market, using vacant buildings as art galleries, and creating a car rental scheme similar to the bike scheme.

A full analysis of the survey will be available at yourdublinyourvoice.ie from today.

36%

said the worst thing about Dublin was crime and antisocial behaviour

95%

want expansion of Dublinbikes scheme

54%

want a directly elected mayor

32%

think Dublin is safe and tidy