Sir, – I have lived in Sandycove, Co Dublin, for 20 years. I enjoy cycling to the harbour for a swim. For more than a year now it has been a daily occurrence to find my journey up Sandycove Avenue East delayed by the increased volume of SUVs belonging to newly converted sea swimmers and their chums.
SUVs are either reversing down this one-way avenue into a parking spot or are stopped, waiting for a parking space to appear, with a resulting tailback of vehicles behind.
The driver behaviour on this once quiet street is extremely disrespectful to local residents. Many people there are elderly and without off-street parking. They now cannot leave for even five minutes to drive to the shops without being distressed on return to find no parking spaces hear their home. Families of residents cannot plan to visit.
It is the good nature of locals not to start putting out traffic cones to keep a spot for themselves. However, is unlikely that visits to the sea swimming spots will stop.
Clearly, it is time this street was either made parking permit-only or pedestrianised for everyone except residents.
There is no reason sea swimmers cannot walk, run, cycle, or take public transport to and from Sandycove. – Yours, etc,
CHRISSIE BYRNE,
Sandycove,
Co Dublin.