Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 23 July 2020
109. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the Office of Public Works will partially close Chesterfield Avenue in the Phoenix Park at weekends for the summer as per previous years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17712/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraFor a number of years, The Office of Public Works has closed a section of Chesterfield Avenue (from Mountjoy Roundabout to the Phoenix Roundabout) to vehicular traffic on weekends from end of April to the end of September each year.
In implementing this closure, traffic was diverted from Chesterfield Ave onto the North Road and the Odd Lamp Road. However, these roads are now experiencing much higher volumes of pedestrians and cyclists, particularly family groups and the OPW believes that, with the increased volumes of recreational users on these roads, it would not be safe now to divert all traffic from Chesterfield Avenue to these peripheral roads at the weekends. Public safety, and in particular the safety of recreational pedestrians and cyclists, is paramount.
We will continue to closely monitor usage patterns within the Park and will review measures such as the weekend closure of Chesterfield Avenue in the context of the development of the new Transport and Mobility strategy for the Phoenix Park.
