DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL (DCC) has announced that College Green and Dame Street are to be traffic-free on 7 August as the city hosts a family friendly Summer Sunday Event from noon to 4pm.

The move means that bus stops as well as taxi ranks will be diverted for the day to ensure the areas remain without any car traffic. 

The event will give people a chance to ride on an antique carousel and attend circus skills workshops. There will also be face painting and outdoor furniture to relax, according to a statement from DCC. 

Lord Mayor of Dublin Caroline Conroy said “Summer Sunday will be an unmissable occasion to see and appreciate College Green and Dame Street in a whole new light with no traffic. The carnival theme will be full of joy and colour and is sure to bring lots of family fun and entertainment for everyone to enjoy.”

The area from College Green to the junction of South Great Georges Street will only be accessible to pedestrians and cyclists between 7am and 7pm on the day itself.

To minimise disruption the following arrangements will be in place:

Cyclists: Cycle parking will be provided in the event area but cyclists must dismount to enter the event area.

Buses: Buses which normally travel eastwards to Dame Street and College Green will be diverted to Parliament Street. Westward buses will be diverted to the South Quays and then to South Great Georges Street. Information on bus diversions and stops can be found on Dublin Bus website.  

Luas: LUAS will operate a normal Sunday service.

Cars: Southbound traffic will be diverted to the South Quays, Lower Bridge Street and Upper Dame Street. Northbound traffic will be diverted via Winetavern Street.

Access to Grafton area car parks will be from South Great Georges Street and Exchequer Street. 

Disabled Parking: Disabled parking will be temporarily relocated from Foster’s Place to D’Olier Street for the duration of the event. 

Taxis: The taxi rank at Foster’s Place and at College Green will be closed for the duration of the event. A temporary extended taxi rank will be available on D’Olier Street.

Previously Done

College Green and its environs have been closed off to traffic before. 

In 2019, the city went car-free for 12 hours today to mark Car Free Day 2019.

Several other cities took part in the initiative as part of European Mobility Week, which aims to promote walking and cycling.

In 2018, it emerged that 60% of people think that College Green in Dublin city centre should be pedestrianised and turned into a public plaza. 

In a study carried out by Amarách Research for RTÉ’s Claire Byrne Live and TheJournal.ie, the majority of the 1,000 people surveyed said that the area in front of the Bank of Ireland should be traffic-free. 

Of those surveyed, just 22% said that College Green should not be pedestrianised.