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More than 3,000 people have signed an online petition, established on Thursday night, calling for an end to the use of Dublin’s Phoenix Park as a road for motorists.
The Public Works Office (OPW) will reopen the car parks at Phoenix Park on Monday, which have been closed since March.
However, they will only be open from 10 am daily to encourage their use only by “recreational users”, and parking along Chesterfield Avenue will continue to be prohibited. Access to the park will remain available only to those who live within 5 km, in accordance with Covid-19 restrictions.
Since March, car parking has been banned in the park, and most roads have been closed to traffic with only Park Gate Street and Castleknock gates open.
Gardaí has been on duty at both ends of Chesterfield Avenue, the linear road between the two doors, asking motorists for their destination and returning vehicles where Covid-19 movement restrictions were not being met.
Gardaí and the rangers have also been patrolling the park for motorists to break the new rules.
Starting May 18, the car parks will open every day from 10 a.m. M., Although “dedicated parking areas” will be provided for those who exercise early in the morning, and the Enclosed Garden of the Phoenix Park Visitors Center will be used for “cocoon space” from 10 a.m. at 1 p.m.
However, parking will remain prohibited on Chesterfield Avenue and instead, the shoulder, heavily used by parking travelers, will be converted to bike lanes and existing bike lanes on the avenue will be used for trails.
Starting June 8, the perimeter gates, which are currently closed, will reopen to traffic. Parking on the grass or trails has always been prohibited, and continues to be.
A Green Party petition, started Thursday afternoon by Councilor Michael Pidgeon, calls for an end to the park’s use as a thoroughfare for motorists.
He proposes that drivers could still use the park’s parking lots to visit attractions like the zoo, he proposes, but they would be prohibited from using it as a “shortcut” to get from one part of the city to another.
“Phoenix Park is a destination, not a shortcut. The past few weeks have shown how important the park is, and how much better it is without heavy traffic. It is quieter, quieter, safer and cleaner. Fewer cars have meant more people, “he said.
“We want to see the end of motorized through traffic. This would still allow motorized access to the park’s facilities and institutions, but would end the park’s use as a path to get from one side to the other. This could easily be accomplished with bollards or rule changes, while ensuring that people can access the park, regardless of age or ability. “
Pidgeon said OPW’s decision to convert the Chesterfield Avenue shoulder to a bike path, stopping parking on this road was a “light spot” and hoped it would be retained after the Covid-19 restrictions were lifted.
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