The Office of Public Works today begins he process of seeking your views and feedback on the recently published Transport and Mobility Report for the Phoenix Park.
This report is the result of work undertaken by a Steering Group comprising four organisations; the Office of Public Works (OPW), National Transport Authority, Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council established by Minister Patrick O’Donovan following the large increase in recreational use of the Phoenix Park since the start of the pandemic last year. The report aims to guide the development of transport and mobility options for all users of the Phoenix Park.
Since its establishment last summer, the Group has worked to identify the optimal transport and mobility options for all users of the Park while minimising the impact on the surrounding communities. The report aims to address the competing pressures on the Park in a managed and considered way, and to facilitate public consultation with this process before any final transport and mobility options are put in place.
The Report is based on a set of core principles; to protect the biodiversity of the Park, to recognise the Park’s function as a recreation site for people, to encourage more sustainable transport solutions, to seek to reduce commuter traffic, to liaise with a wide range of interested parties and to ensure all decisions are evidence based. These principles will underpin any future solutions and changes to transport and mobility issues in the Phoenix Park.
In accordance with the principles, the Report sets out an optimal model solution for the medium to long term for how park visitors will access, experience and move within the Phoenix Park while protecting the park environs, and it makes a number of recommendations to reduce commuter traffic, increase the cycling and pedestrian opportunities and provide for limited public transport. These recommendations include the following:
The Report takes account of the way pedestrians, cyclists, recreation users and commuters interact with and utilise the Park. In this context, the Report considered a range of options. The emerging preferred option is to reposition the Phoenix Park as an important natural resource for the citizens of Dublin and further afield while seeking to reduce through traffic over the medium to long term. This preferred option would significantly improve pedestrian and cycling safety while also providing more sustainable transport options for those working in the Park and accessing its visitor attractions and amenities.
The public consultation opened today, and you will have an opportunity between now and March 12th to share your feedback on the report’s recommendations as well as detailing any other suggestions you have. Email me at Paschal.Donohoe@oir.ie and I will ensure that your observations are examined by the Office of Public Works prior to its publishing a final report in April.