Car Free Day

damowill

Limerick Smarter Travel are planning a Car Free Day on Saturday, September 22

Took this from there facebook event page:

O'Connell Street will be transformed into a hub of activity. Jump on board one of Bus Éireann's FREE river bus trips which will depart from outside the Tourist Office every half hour. See the sights and hear some fun local facts from the comfort a double decker bus. Come talk to our LUCROC team and see future plans for the street. Fun activities and displays will spill onto O'Connell Street which will be reduced to one traffic lane dedicated to public transport only.

colm_mcm

Can’t see this being a fiasco at all.

Poxyshamrock

damowill wrote: »

Limerick Smarter Travel are planning a Car Free Day on Saturday, September 22

Took this from there facebook event page:

O'Connell Street will be transformed into a hub of activity. Jump on board one of Bus reann's FREE river bus trips which will depart from outside the Tourist Office every half hour. See the sights and hear some fun local facts from the comfort a double decker bus. Come talk to our LUCROC team and see future plans for the street. Fun activities and displays will spill onto O'Connell Street which will be reduced to one traffic lane dedicated to public transport only.

Now there's an idea!!!

Mc Love

Would be great if they do could it on a week day

LeoD

colm_mcm wrote: »

Can’t see this being a fiasco at all.

This is too cryptic for me. Do you mean that the council will somehow make a balls of running what should be a welcomed event or simply closing the streets to traffic in the first place is a terrible idea?

colm_mcm

I should probably read up on what the traffic plan is before being too critical, but given that O’Connell street crosses so many routes it has the potential to be disruptive.

LeoD

colm_mcm wrote: »

I should probably read up on what the traffic plan is before being too critical, but given that O’Connell street crosses so many routes it has the potential to be disruptive.

If Paris can close the Champs Elysee to traffic for a day, surely Limerick can close O'Connell St?

Cookiemunster

colm_mcm wrote: »

I should probably read up on what the traffic plan is before being too critical, but given that O’Connell street crosses so many routes it has the potential to be disruptive.

There's a reason it's happening on a Saturday.

panda100

What is actually happening on Saturday? What are the events on O'Connell Street that day? Trying to decide wether to stay in town or head out to Ardagh Chalice festival.

LeoD

https://www.limerick.ie/council/newsroom/news/car-free-day-limerick-city-centre

To celebrate European Car Free Day on Saturday 22 Sept, O’Connell Street in Limerick city centre from its junction with Sarsfield Street to Roches Street will be a pedestrian and bus only zone from 11am until 2pm.

There will be loads of fun and games for children as well as for adults, while the benefits of walking, cycling and using public transport will be highlighted.

The RSA will have their Interactive Shuttle providing members of the general public a chance to interact with various road safety campaigns and to spread the message about the importance of road safety.

You will be able to check out your hazard perception skills on their simulators or enjoy a fully interactive road safety educational experience.

You can also practice safe cycling skills on their state of the art bicycle simulator and test your reactions on the brake reaction timer.

And let’s see your fancy footwork by dancing to the Safe Cross Code in the activity zone.

The aim of the day is to highlight the need to reduce our dependency on cars for people coming into the city centre, by walking, cycling or taking public transport.

Bus Eireann will present their new double decker buses for Limerick and will be providing free LEAP cards and a free bus tour of the city.

LUCROC will be giving members of the public the latest information on the future of O’Connell Street.

The Community Policing Unit of An Garda Síochána will be present to promote their Lock it or Lose it bike campaign as well as general tips for personal safety and in your homes.

Limerick Sports Partnership will have a skills fun zone for children of all ages, while the public will see a wild flower garden display.

If you have any questions about composting or recycling, you will be able to chat with our Master Composters who will be on hand to demonstrate how important composting is to the environment and how simple it can be, while the Recycling Ambassadors will be giving tips and practical advice on upcycling, recycling and re-using.

SPIN South West will be broadcasting from the area live throughout the event.

panda100

LeoD wrote: »

The RSA will have their Interactive Shuttle providing members of the general public a chance to interact with various road safety campaigns and to spread the message about the importance of road safety.

You will be able to check out your hazard perception skills on their simulators or enjoy a fully interactive road safety educational experience.

You can also practice safe cycling skills on their state of the art bicycle simulator and test your reactions on the brake reaction timer.

And let’s see your fancy footwork by dancing to the Safe Cross Code in the activity zone.

The aim of the day is to highlight the need to reduce our dependency on cars for people coming into the city centre, by walking, cycling or taking public transport.


The Community Policing Unit of An Garda Síochána will be present to promote their Lock it or Lose it bike campaign as well as general tips for personal safety and in your homes.

Dullsville. A morning of high-vis and being patronised and lectured about cycle safety from people who probably have never cycled or walked anywhere a day in their lives.

nim1bdeh38l2cw

LeoD wrote: »

If Paris can close the Champs Elysee to traffic for a day, surely Limerick can close O'Connell St?

The Champs Elysee is just under 2km long and has 1 crossing road. O'Connell Street, Limerick is 500m long and has a crossing every 100m or so, however, they're only proposing to close under 200m of it - Sarsfield Street to Roches Street - with zero crossing streets.

phog

Alayah Vast Snow wrote: »

The Champs Elysee is just under 2km long and has 1 crossing road. O'Connell Street, Limerick is 500m long and has a crossing every 100m or so, however, they're only proposing to close under 200m of it - Sarsfield Street to Roches Street - with zero crossing streets.

That doesn't reflect reality, I've driven and walked the Champs Elysees and can assure you there are multiple entry and exit points from the road to side streets.

What Champs Elysees has that Limerick doesn't have is an underground public transport system and of course Paris has a fully circular peripheral road.

nim1bdeh38l2cw

phog wrote: »

That doesn't reflect reality, I've driven and walked the Champs Elysees and can assure you there are multiple entry and exit points from the road to side streets.

What Champs Elysees has that Limerick doesn't have is an underground public transport system and of course Paris has a fully circular peripheral road.

Sorry, blonde moment... I only counted up to the roundabout half way up forgetting about the other half

LeoD

So are we saying it's a bigger logistical problem to close O'Connell St in Limerick than the Champs Elysee in Paris off to traffic? Well it wasn't just that street they shut, it was most of the city. I suppose Rome wasn't built in a day so maybe this is just the first step to see if maybe, possibly, we could consider for a moment the idea of removing motor traffic from just a part of our city centre permanently 20 years from now.

Stellaluna

Paris does have the advantage of an extensive metro system though. I happened to be there one year for the day without cars and it was great to be able to wander about on the roads and not having the constant engine noise. That said, we were able to get around easily with the metro and local/regional trains. The Limerick one is only for a few hours though - a minor inconvenience at worst surely, considering we seem to manage well enough for the Paddy’s day parade and the Limerick run etc.

phog

Stellaluna wrote: »

Paris does have the advantage of an extensive metro system though. I happened to be there one year for the day without cars and it was great to be able to wander about on the roads and not having the constant engine noise. That said, we were able to get around easily with the metro and local/regional trains. The Limerick one is only for a few hours though - a minor inconvenience at worst surely, considering we seem to manage well enough for the Paddy’s day parade and the Limerick run etc.

What was the purpose of today? How many turned to up the "street party"

I was in town this morning from 09:30 to about 12:30 I crossed O'Connell Street twice in the time frame and saw and heard nothing that would entice me to the closed off area.

I've no difficulty in closing O'Connell street for something worthwhile like the Nissan Classic that we had in the 80s when Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche were in their prime, the band parades and St Patrick's Day parade or something like The Giant Granny but imho something like today is an absolute waste of time and just an inconvenience.

In fact, I've no great opposition to pedestrianising O'Connell St but again imho that can't and won't happen with our current road network

LeoD

phog wrote: »

What was the purpose of today?

That's a good question. Like you, I would like to see traffic reduction measures brought in to the city centre and an end to people driving through it to get from one side of the city to the other. I do believe that is what the council want to do also but how they are going to do this is a mystery as they seem to be incapable of outlining the vision for the city and providing a delivery plan for that vision. Saturday's 'car free' day might have been an attempt by the council to introduce the concept of traffic restrictions to the city centre without raising too many alarm bells amongst those who will always want to drive up O'Connell St - I don't know if it was or not - but the whole thing just seemed miserable. The traffic was closed off but the streets were still empty. It wasn't some great moment of liberation for pedestrians - maybe it was never meant to be - to me it was just "meh, whatever".

Cookiemunster

LeoD wrote: »

That's a good question. Like you, I would like to see traffic reduction measures brought in to the city centre and an end to people driving through it to get from one side of the city to the other. I do believe that is what the council want to do also but how they are going to do this is a mystery as they seem to be incapable of outlining the vision for the city and providing a delivery plan for that vision. Saturday's 'car free' day might have been an attempt by the council to introduce the concept of traffic restrictions to the city centre without raising too many alarm bells amongst those who will always want to drive up O'Connell St - I don't know if it was or not - but the whole thing just seemed miserable. The traffic was closed off but the streets were still empty. It wasn't some great moment of liberation for pedestrians - maybe it was never meant to be - to me it was just "meh, whatever".

The idea is that September 22nd is European Car Free Day, as it has been every year since the early 2000s. And I'm pretty sure O'Connell St has been closed to traffic nearly every year on the Saturday around that date for the last decade or so.

pigtown

Supposedly they were giving an update on the plans for O'Connell St. Redevelopment at this, did anyone see them?

LeoD

Cookiemunster wrote: »

The idea is that September 22nd is European Car Free Day, as it has been every year since the early 2000s. And I'm pretty sure O'Connell St has been closed to traffic nearly every year on the Saturday around that date for the last decade or so.

Car free day is part of European Mobility Week (last week). Only 4 councils in Ireland took part in car-free day this year - Louth, Kildare, Fingal and Limerick. I wonder why they bother - is it part of a longer term plan reduce traffic volumes in certain areas or is it just something they feel obliged to do to look somewhat 'forward thinking'?

LeoD

pigtown wrote: »

Supposedly they were giving an update on the plans for O'Connell St. Redevelopment at this, did anyone see them?

I did. Little change from the emerging option posted on the council website. Some is good, some is bad. If you'd like to see the city centre more accessible by bike it's hopeless.

Vanquished

The illustration they had on display was quite poor. The specific details were difficult to study. It seems to be more or less the same as what was presented 15 months ago.

The person I spoke to was very unconvincing when I asked them why it was moving so slowly. Supposedly they're aiming to have the application submitted to ABP before the end of year with construction starting in 18 months.:rolleyes: It'll be done in two phases.

panda100

phog wrote: »

What was the purpose of today? How many turned to up the "street party"

I was in town this morning from 09:30 to about 12:30 I crossed O'Connell Street twice in the time frame and saw and heard nothing that would entice me to the closed off area.

+1. Fairly pointless exercise. Who would want to roam O'Connell Street listening to some saftey talks on cycle/walking saftey.

They really should have closed of the street on Friday night or Rutland and Patrick Street at the very least. The whole area around The Hunt Museum, Fab Lab, Ormston House, St Marys Cathedral etc were all thronged on Culture Night. It was wonderful to see but the cars passing outside made it very dangerous and unpleasant. It was very unsafe with all the kids around. Culture Night would be improved massively if they shut off the streets to cars. Then you could have the likes of the living statutes etc on the streets instead of having everything crammed into small venues.