New Grafton street surface(is manky already!)

highfive

Has anybody seen the new grafton street limestone they're putting down? They've put down about 20 meters of paving, starting from the st. stephens green end. It looks all stained with chewing gum and god knows what already! Jesus the old surface looks better. Why oh why, does anybody know who makes these decisions!?

Bummer1234

Seen it the other day also...Might have alot more work to do on it yet. Here a picture from broadsheet.ie

miamee

I'm assuming that some of the black dirt is from the machines they were using and that when it's all finished they will give it a proper clean? I hope so anyway.

Personally I think it's the most awful, dull looking surface they could have chosen, it is not in any way interesting. Hopefully it will look a lot better when (if) cleaned up.

Kintarō Hattori

highfive wrote: »

Jesus the old surface looks better. Why oh why, does anybody know who makes these decisions!?

miamee wrote: »

Personally I think it's the most awful, dull looking surface they could have chosen, it is not in any way interesting. Hopefully it will look a lot better when (if) cleaned up.

I was very surprised when I read that they had decided to replace the red bricked surface. The grey paving is incredibly boring and seems like a decision of the 80s. Granted the red surface was looking tatty but I'd prefer to see something like that put in again rather than soulless boring grey slabs.

So many better choices yet someone in the council chose crap:

https://www.google.ie/search?q=street+paving&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=YCDlUc2cGqPi4QTbvoC4Aw&biw=1366&bih=681&sei=YiDlUcGHIYGF4ASB34DIAg#imgdii=_

highfive

Yeah, lets hope they treat it or smtg when they are finished!! I do not want to have to explain to visitors for the next ten years why our main shopping street looks like a war zone!!!

Pang

I really liked the red. It gave character to the street. The grey pavement is unimaginative and boring.

ozmo

Its exactly the same stuff as they used on Henry Street and O'Connell street - so you can check out there how it fared.

I think the red is much nicer - especially at Christmas.

What is sad is that after Grafton street is complete, they have plans to replace paving around Trinity College and Westmoreland Street - that is some really old and characteristic huge granite paving slabs there I hope wont be getting skipped.

Pretty Polly

ozmo wrote: »

Its exactly the same stuff as they used on Henry Street and O'Connell street - so you can check out there how it fared.

I think the red is much nicer - especially at Christmas.

What is sad is that after Grafton street is complete, they have plans to replace paving around Trinity College and Westmoreland Street - that is some really old and characteristic huge granite paving slabs there I hope wont be getting skipped.

I liked the red, I like how it stood out as being different from the other streets in the area. Its like Temple Bar, the cobbles stones are part of it.

Aard

I like how the new section up by Stephen's Green looks. I know it's not intentional, but the new light-grey surface in the centre contrasts nicely with the red bricks on the sides. If they could leave it like that, it would still retain the Grafton St charm while sprucing it up and making the main surface more durable.

Having the grey stone bang up to the shop fronts will look a bit austere IMO. There needs to be a transition area in front of shops. It'd be like having a footpath right against your house - there needs to be a small strip to indicate that yes this is not the main carriageway, people will be occasionally stopped here!

Tabnabs

I saw it for the first time today and hoped it was only a translational/temporary surface before the proper stuff was laid. It looks cheap and dirty.

If Aldi did paving slabs...

AndonHandon

Hopefully it doesn't turn out like the surface of Henry Street; soulless. A few benches on the street would be brilliant, as would a proper decluttering of the street i.e. removal of those black bollard things, some of the bins, ****ty signs outside shops in the middle of the street, "2 Powerades for €3" or "€10 student haircuts" type things. And also sort out the busking situation.

Pang

Those people who write essays with chalk seriously need to go. They take up so much of the street at times.

AndonHandon

They would never cut it in the marketing world.

Pretty Polly

Speaking of essays.....

Somebody etched their own story into the road on Chatham Street, just off Grafton Street.

http://www.worldirish.com/story/51551-a-very-sad-story-written-on-the-paving-stones-of-a-dublin-street