Almost all Phoenix Park gates are closed to vehicular traffic on weekends during Level 5

THE OFFICE OF Public Works (OPW) has announced that nearly all of Dublin’s Phoenix Park gates will be closed to vehicular traffic every weekend for the duration of Level 5 restrictions.

At the request of An Garda Síochána, the park’s perimeter side gates will be closed for the next five weekends.

Indeed, the doors will normally close at 11 pm on Fridays and will reopen at 7 am on Mondays.

The closures will impact the following doors:

• Ashtown Gate
• Goat Gate
• North Circular Road Gate
• Islandbridge Gate
• Chapelizod Gate
• Knockmaroon Gate

Pedestrian and bicycle access will be maintained at all doors.

Vehicular traffic will be allowed through the Castleknock and Parkgate Street entrances on each of the weekends.

The OPW said the decision was made in the interest of the public safety of Phoenix Park users.

All park visitors are asked to comply with the 5km travel restrictions, choose sustainable transportation to the park, respect other park users by maintaining social distancing, and park their vehicles responsibly.

Most of the transit gates in the park were initially closed in March following the introduction of a 2km travel limit for people to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

In the weeks that followed, there were calls from locals, many of whom had been using the park’s roads for exercise by bike and on foot, to continue closing the gates so the area could remain relatively traffic-free.

However, the OPW announced in July that it would reopen almost all the park gates.