Dollymount strand cars banned

Sunnyisland

A temporary ban on cars driving onto the beach at Dollymount strand is to be made permanent by Dublin City Council.
The council last June erected barriers at the Wooden Bridge and Causeway Road entrances to the 5km beach between Clontarf and Raheny, to prevent motorists from driving onto the sand.

“Due to the haphazard nature of parking, emergency vehicles had difficulty attending to the incident. For this reason and following strong advice from the gardaí, management in the Parks Service made a decision to cease vehicular access to Dollymount beach,” the council said.
There had also been growing “anti-social activity” caused by cars driving onto the beach the council added.

The council last June erected barriers at the Wooden Bridge and Causeway Road entrances to the 5km beach between Clontarf and Raheny, to prevent motorists from driving onto the sand.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/dollymount-car-ban-will-not-be-lifted-says-council-1.1906672

I haven't been there myself in awhile, Are you now not allowed to cross the wooden bridge and enter from the crossroads at st Anne's park anymore ?

If true Seems a bit extreme to punish the entire public for the activitys of a few numbskulls,would it not be better to enforce the parking prohibitions with a Garda or parking warden than exclude everyone ?

Collie D

realies wrote: »

A temporary ban on cars driving onto the beach at Dollymount strand is to be made permanent by Dublin City Council.
The council last June erected barriers at the Wooden Bridge and Causeway Road entrances to the 5km beach between Clontarf and Raheny, to prevent motorists from driving onto the sand.

“Due to the haphazard nature of parking, emergency vehicles had difficulty attending to the incident. For this reason and following strong advice from the gardaí, management in the Parks Service made a decision to cease vehicular access to Dollymount beach,” the council said.
There had also been growing “anti-social activity” caused by cars driving onto the beach the council added.

The council last June erected barriers at the Wooden Bridge and Causeway Road entrances to the 5km beach between Clontarf and Raheny, to prevent motorists from driving onto the sand.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/dollymount-car-ban-will-not-be-lifted-says-council-1.1906672

I haven't been there myself in awhile, Are you now not allowed to cross the wooden bridge and enter from the crossroads at st Anne's park anymore ?

If true Seems a bit extreme to punish the entire public for the activitys of a few numbskulls,would it not be better to enforce the parking prohibitions with a Garda or parking warden than exclude everyone ?

Was there a few weeks ago and drove up both the causeway and the wooden bridge. There was a kite festival on so entire length of causeway had cars parked along it.

I think the ban is for the actual beach itself. Plenty of parking off the beach.

Phoebas

I think you can still cross the bridge and park along the roadway and I think there is also a very small section of the beach that you can park on.
You just can't drive up the beach proper or use it for joyriding or learning to drive.

Seems reasonable.

Gloomtastic!

I walk on Dollymount beach a good few times a week and there is very rarely bad parking on there, maybe a couple of stranded cars a year.

However, the council have to employ someone in a JCB to dig out the rocks that surround the car park from the tidal beach. They're there every day for 3 or 4 hours. Looks like a cost saving measure to me but blaming it on the public. Nice one DCC! :rolleyes:

Phoebas

I've often seen people driving at speed up the strand.
There is ample parking at the amenity, no real need for parking on it.

woppi

realies wrote: »

“Due to the haphazard nature of parking, emergency vehicles had difficulty attending to the incident. For this reason and following strong advice from the gardaí, management in the Parks Service made a decision to cease vehicular access to Dollymount beach,” the council said.

I agree with Ó Muirí on this one that making the restrictions permanent was an “extreme reaction” and unfairly punished local citizens. Does anyone have real information on the incident? As in, were emergency vehicles blocked from getting to the car in question? Were they blocked on the causeway on the access route or on the beach itself?

Obviously putting a car park in the dunes is not an option, but I see a couple of other options which would still allow relatively easy access...
(1) Have more parking at St. Anne's Park and run a shuttle bus from Raheny Dart Station, to St. Anne's Park, to the beach.
(2) Charge for vehicular access to the beach and pay a parking warden to supervise.

These would only need to be in place during the summer months too. Bottom line for me is that a complete ban, all year round, for driving onto Dollymount Strand is not appropriate.

Gloomtastic!

The wind surfers will not be happy.

alastair

realies wrote: »

I haven't been there myself in awhile, Are you now not allowed to cross the wooden bridge and enter from the crossroads at st Anne's park anymore ?

You can still park anywhere from the St Anne's crossroad, down to the roundabout on the causeway. It's only the final beach access roads that are closed. Bit of a pain, but still ample parking and not much of a walk. Different story for the kite surfers, with all their kit alright.

spurious

alastair wrote: »

You can still park anywhere from the St Anne's crossroad, down to the roundabout on the causeway. It's only the final beach access roads that are closed. Bit of a pain, but still ample parking and not much of a walk. Different story for the kite surfers, with all their kit alright.

Majorly different story for people who are not great at walking, many of whom I used to see on morning visits year round to the beach. Very much a sledgehammer to crack a nut situation, though I don't at all doubt the aspect Gloomtastic! has mentioned.

delahuntv

spurious wrote: »

Majorly different story for people who are not great at walking, many of whom I used to see on morning visits year round to the beach. Very much a sledgehammer to crack a nut situation, though I don't at all doubt the aspect Gloomtastic! has mentioned.

ah the "old and disabled" angle!

I heard a councillor on about people in wheelchairs not being able to enjoy the beach - wheelchairs and sand don't mix very well and whilst I haven't been on dollymount much except when visiting my parents, I have never seen a wheelchair there and my parents, both in eighties are very happy with the ban as many scumbags used the beach for playing/showing off with their cars!


This will make it pedestrian friendly again.

Gloomtastic!

delahuntv wrote: »

ah the "old and disabled" angle!

I heard a councillor on about people in wheelchairs not being able to enjoy the beach - wheelchairs and sand don't mix very well and whilst I haven't been on dollymount much except when visiting my parents, I have never seen a wheelchair there and my parents, both in eighties are very happy with the ban as many scumbags used the beach for playing/showing off with their cars!


This will make it pedestrian friendly again.

There was four or five people with wheelchairs on there a few weeks ago.

There's four or five disabled parking spaces on the Causeway roundabout

spurious

delahuntv wrote: »

ah the "old and disabled" angle!

I heard a councillor on about people in wheelchairs not being able to enjoy the beach - wheelchairs and sand don't mix very well and whilst I haven't been on dollymount much except when visiting my parents, I have never seen a wheelchair there and my parents, both in eighties are very happy with the ban as many scumbags used the beach for playing/showing off with their cars!

Whether you have seen them or not is beside the point. In the early morning there used to be many people of limited mobility on the beach. You don't have to use a wheelchair to be of limited mobility.

Where exactly did the 'scumbags' show off their cars? Between the boulders for parking, or are you talking about when I was young and you could drive all along the beach?

woppi

woppi wrote: »

I agree with Ó Muirí on this one that making the restrictions permanent was an “extreme reaction” and unfairly punished local citizens. Does anyone have real information on the incident? As in, were emergency vehicles blocked from getting to the car in question? Were they blocked on the causeway on the access route or on the beach itself?

In fairness, if they are local to the beach why are they driving?

And the incident that led to it is quoted in the link below.

http://www.thejournal.ie/dollymount-parking-1583309-Jul2014/?com_ord=date?&r_dir_d=1

Seems fair enough. Google Howth Coast Guard and Dollymount and there are several example of them having to assist stranded motorists. They, the Gardaí and the Council have better ways of spending money serving the public.

expectationlost

http://www.herald.ie/opinion/what-bull-dubs-should-not-tolerate-dollymount-ban-30535457.html this column plays down the inicident

Apparently one driver got their car stuck in soft sand and emergency services which needed to get to the driver couldn't make it because of the "chaotic" parking on the beach.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/dollymount-beach-parking-row-heats-up-as-temperatures-soar-1.1878470#.U9L2vgmUT4g.twitter
the first report of it made it sound worse

They cite a recent incident where a man reversed his car across a person lying on the beach and emergency vehicles found it difficult to access the accident scene because of the cars parked there.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/dollymount-car-ban-will-not-be-lifted-says-council-1.1906672

Council said it took the decision following a recent incident where emergency vehicles had difficulty reaching a car that was stuck in the sand, which resulted in a woman being injured

so a woman was helping to push a car out of the sand and got injured? partly run over by the car, a minor injury

John_Rambo

It's no biggie for most. I kitesurf on the beach, a walk is a good warm up before a session. I can carry two kites, a board and all my gear. The way it was done was dreadful and it's down to laziness. DCC and the Gardai simply do not want the hassle. Dublin Port handed it over to them this year and this is the first thing they do without consultation with anyone. Now, it's open day for car thieves (which were a problem already) as the cars are out of sight. Families with elderly, kids, buggies, beach gear are faced with an awkward trek to the beach now. The wooden bridge end has very limited parking and there's a major bottleneck.

I'm on the beach all the time and hundreds of special needs people use it.

odyssey06

Good luck getting an emergency vehicle onto the beach now... there is a barrier supported by rocks stopping vehicles from getting onto the beach... are ambulance drivers supposed to get out and move this?

There have been so many reasons given for the ban that it strikes me as suspicious... If there was one real reason they would just keep saying that but instead one time it's blamed on anti-social behaviour. Next time it's emergency vehicle access...

If anti-social behaviour is going or cars parked illegally, then enforce the law of the land and arrest someone or tow the car. As I heard someone else saying, you may as well close off half the city if you're going to have that attitude that it's too much hassle to properly police and regulate a public amenity.

expectationlost

somebody mentioned something about this being related to the handing over of part of the land from dublin port to dublin council, i though the dublin port part was only a small slice of the land

odyssey06

According to the Herald, cars will be allowed back onto the beach in some limited form... will have to see what that means in practice.

Rotunda Shill

Dublin county council would clean up if they started charging cars to park on the beech.

chinwag

Lot of cars parked on the beach yesterday but limited to first section of beach - for traffic entering via wooden bridge, plenty of surfers there.

ProudDUB

This is great news. Closing the beach to all cars was a ridiculous over reaction to just one incident imo. While access for emergency vehicles is very important, they could do with having some sort of traffic wardens or safety stewards or a better Garda presence during the summer days, when the place is jammers. Unfortunately, this being Ireland, you are always going to have muppets abandoning their cars where ever they damm well choose. They shouldn't be allowed to spoil the party for everyone. Considering it is probably Dublins largest & most popular beach, it is a bit mental not to have some sort of official traffic & parking system in place, when big crowds are expected.

BMJD

that's terrible, I learned how to drive there


when I was 8

ProudDUB

BMJD wrote: »

that's terrible, I learned how to drive there


when I was 8

So did half of Dublin ! Happy memories of sitting on my dads lap, while he let me steer the car up & down the beach. The daft eegit !

You haven't been able to drive the full length of the beach for years. There are now large boulders and a locked barrier at both the north and south ends of the beach. They stop cars from leaving the 2 small parts of the beach, where you can park (or used to be able to park at) & heading down to the other end of it.

During the summer, the lifeguards have a key to the barrier. I have seen them open and close it to allow a van drive up to their lifeguard huts to unload gear. Dunno who has the key the other 9 months of the year. I presume the emergency services do. But this being Ireland.....:rolleyes:

spurious

ProudDUB wrote: »

You haven't been able to drive the full length of the beach for years. There are now large boulders and a locked barrier at both the north and south ends of the beach. They stop cars from leaving the 2 small parts of the beach, where you can park (or used to be able to park at) & heading down to the other end of it.

Exactly. There was no need for the sledgehammer/nut complete ban. It wasn't as if it was like the old days where cars could drive onto the beach at the wooden bridge and off at the causeway.

ProudDUB

They could do with widening the access down at the causeway end. It is very narrow as it is. When sand blows in and causes drifts, it makes getting in and out even harder. Or put bollards up to stop people parking where they shouldn't. Or stop people from parking on the sections between the beach and the roundabout. Even with the No Parking sign on the left hand side, people frequently ignore them and leave their cars where they shouldn't. On such a narrow access road, that is always going to lead to trouble. I know that there are sand dunes there and it is a nature reserve, but a couple of feet on either side, wouldn't make all that much of a difference, would it? If you are going to open the beach up to cars, do a proper job of it. Don't do it half assed.

And I still think it needs some sort of official traffic wardens/Garda presence/safety stewards during the summer, when it is very busy & large crowds are expected. Look at how well Drumcondra & Ballsbridge are patrolled whenever big games are on at Croke Park/Aviva Stadium/RDS, or the area around the O2 when concerts are on. Surely Dublins biggest and busiest beach is deserving of the same treatment?

Gloomtastic!

ProudDUB wrote: »

They could do with widening the access down at the causeway end. It is very narrow as it is. When sand blows in and causes drifts, it makes getting in and out even harder. Or put bollards up to stop people parking where they shouldn't. Or stop people from parking on the sections between the beach and the roundabout. Even with the No Parking sign on the left hand side, people frequently ignore them and leave their cars where they shouldn't. On such a narrow access road, that is always going to lead to trouble. I know that there are sand dunes there and it is a nature reserve, but a couple of feet on either side, wouldn't make all that much of a difference, would it? If you are going to open the beach up to cars, do a proper job of it. Don't do it half assed.

And I still think it needs some sort of official traffic wardens/Garda presence/safety stewards during the summer, when it is very busy & large crowds are expected. Look at how well Drumcondra & Ballsbridge are patrolled whenever big games are on at Croke Park/Aviva Stadium/RDS, or the area around the O2 when concerts are on. Surely Dublins biggest and busiest beach is deserving of the same treatment?

But it's all so weather dependant, a hammer to crack a nut comes to mind.....

ProudDUB

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

But it's all so weather dependant, a hammer to crack a nut comes to mind.....

Then on the days when it is lashing rain and large crowds are not expected, don't send out as many personnel. On days when good weather is expected, you do. It's not exactly rocket science, especially as they would only really be needed during the summer holidays.

Pete_Cavan

Employing people would be too expensive. Really what needs to happen is that a suitable carpark be provided at the end of the tarmac road. A sign should be then erected informing people that parking on the beach is at owners risk. If emergency services are required to remove a car, the owner will be billed accordingly for every labour hour and every resource used.

Erect another sign saying “Keep clear for emergency vehicle access”. If a car is obstructing emergency services they should be entitled to smash the window, let off the hand break and push it out of their way. If the fire brigade come across a locked door or gate they will smash their way through it, no questions asked, other emergency services should take the same attitude. No compensation for the car owner, the emergency services have very important work to do (could literally be a matter of life and death) and shouldn’t have to run around looking for some idiot to move his car. If that was the case people might actually pay attention to “Keep clear for emergency vehicle access” signs.

ProudDUB

Pete_Cavan wrote: »

Employing people would be too expensive. Really what needs to happen is that a suitable carpark be provided at the end of the tarmac road. A sign should be then erected informing people that parking on the beach is at owners risk. If emergency services are required to remove a car, the owner will be billed accordingly for every labour hour and every resource used.

Erect another sign saying “Keep clear for emergency vehicle access”. If a car is obstructing emergency services they should be entitled to smash the window, let off the hand break and push it out of their way. If the fire brigade come across a locked door or gate they will smash their way through it, no questions asked, other emergency services should take the same attitude. No compensation for the car owner, the emergency services have very important work to do (could literally be a matter of life and death) and shouldn’t have to run around looking for some idiot to move his car. If that was the case people might actually pay attention to “Keep clear for emergency vehicle access” signs.

Dublin City Council, Dublin Port, the OPW, the Dept of The Environment, the Dept of Transport, the Guards etc etc are all large organizations, with massive numbers of people on the payroll. I'm pretty sure that between them, they could come up with a few bodies to keep an eye on Dollier for 2-3 months of the year, without breaking the bank.

Go to the Phoenix Park, St Stephens Green, Malahide Castle, St Annes Park etc etc and you'll see plenty of staff in high viz vests. They are all there to keep the place safe/clean/running ok/well looked after/all of the above. Why should Dollymount Strand be any different from any of them, just because it is a beach? Portmarnock & Howth don't usually have much of a Garda presence, as they are quiet enough spots. But all it took were a couple of nice sunny days, a few gangs of misbehaving teens running riot, a media outcry about it and hey presto...you are tripping over Guards in both locations. The resources are there. It just takes someone with the will and the motivation to put them to proper use.

There already are signs telling people not to park on the left hand side. People ignore them. A structure needs to be in place, so that cars can not block an ambulances access in the first place. According to newspaper reports, the incident that caused the beach to be closed was an ambulance that couldn't get on to the beach. It was trying to assist a woman who injured herself sunbathing. (How do you injure yourself sunbathing btw? )

I presume that time wasn't of the essence then, but like you said, it could be if someone got into difficulty in the water and needed better & quicker medical attention than the life guards could provide. The ambulances need immediate access to the beach at all times. They don't need to be wasting time breaking windows and moving cars when peoples lives are at stake.

Pete_Cavan

ProudDUB wrote: »

Dublin City Council, Dublin Port, the OPW, the Dept of The Environment, the Dept of Transport, the Guards etc etc are all large organizations, with massive numbers of people on the payroll. I'm pretty sure that between them, they could come up with a few bodies to keep an eye on Dollier for 2-3 months of the year, without breaking the bank.

Having people stand around is a waste of resources. All it takes is for one person to park when the person isnt looking/taking a leak and the entire purpose is defeated. And even though they are less likely to be required, emergency services could be obstructed at at other times of the year, that problem would still remain and could be just as disastrous.

ProudDUB wrote: »

I presume that time wasn't of the essence then, but like you said, it could be if someone got into difficulty in the water and needed better & quicker medical attention than the life guards could provide. The ambulances need immediate access to the beach at all times. They don't need to be wasting time breaking windows and moving cars when peoples lives are at stake.

Its about the threat that something might actually happen if you block the emergency services. When they couldnt get to the beach when needed, if action was taken people would think twice about obstructing a signed emergency services route again. If it was known generally that blocking emergency services could result in something happening to our car, people generally would think twice about it. The fire brigade wouldnt let anything stand in their way, others shouldnt either.

expectationlost

another new plan mooted but we won't see it for a while http://www.thejournal.ie/dollymount-parking-back-2156090-Jun2015/