ROAD CHANGES TO divert through traffic out of Dublin city centre are expected to take effect from August, according to Minister Eamon Ryan.

The Dublin City Centre Transport Plan, announced last year, detailed plans to reduce the number of cars clogging up the streets of the city centre but not bringing any custom to businesses.

Changes to traffic management and road layouts around Westland Row and Pearse Street, Bachelor’s Walk and Aston Quay were forecast to come into effect this year.

Minister for Climate and Transport Eamon Ryan has now said the changes will be seen from August.

“I think people are going to see a transformation. They will see transformation this August when we take the through traffic out of the city centre. That’s going to make a huge change in Dublin,” he said.

The plan outlined that six out of every ten cars in the city centre are only using it as a route to reach destinations outside of the centre. Instead, that traffic “could be removed without impacting on the vitality and viability of the economic and cultural life of this area”. 

Minister Ryan was speaking to reporters as the National Transport Authority announced €290 million in funding for local authorities to support the rollout of walking and cycling infrastructure in 2024.

Ryan told reporters he is “convinced” that Dublin and other cities and towns around the country will switch significantly to cycling when safe environments are created.

“Councils are starting to come around to reallocating space and making it safe to walk and cycle. It’s currently not safe. We have to make it safe, and as we do that we will see a change,” he said.

On managing local resistance towards cycling lanes, Ryan said that it’s important to listen to communities and make changes to plans if necessary but also that we “need to build now… we’ve done the listening, now we need to do the building”. 

Transport plan

The plan proposed last year set out that Pearse Street from Westland Row to Sandwith Street would become a two-way road.

The left-hand turn onto Pearse Street for traffic travelling north along Westland Row would be restricted to public transport and cyclists, with a new right-hand turn created for general traffic at that junction.

Several other changes to road layouts have been proposed and put to public consultation under the plan.

Efforts to cut traffic in Dublin city centre are motivated by wants to both reduce congestion and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.

Emissions from transport must be cut by 50% over the coming years to comply with legally binding climate targets.

Thousands of scientists around the world have repeatedly warned policymakers that without immediate and substantial action to lower greenhouse gas emissions, the world faces a climate crisis devastating and irreversible consequences.