Cork city council seeks views on banning cars on Patrick Street

Cork

City Council has begun consultations with interested parties over a series of traffic measures, including banning private cars from St

Patrick's Street

during the middle of the day. Council officials met yesterday with business interests, An

Garda Síochána

, Bus É

ireann and taxi drivers to discuss a series of proposals under its city centre movement strategy.

Among the proposals is one to ban private cars from St Patrick’s Street from 12.30pm until 6.30pm, seven days a week, with access limited to buses, taxis and bicycles. Private cars would instead be directed along the city quays during the afternoon period. If given the go-ahead, the proposal could be adopted as early as mid-2016.

Pedestrian crossings

The strategy also envisages the provision of additional pedestrian crossings on St Patrick’s Street and improvements to traffic flow on Perry Street and Drawbridge Street, off St Patrick’s Street.

Among the other proposals are a change to traffic flow along Castle Street, which links Cornmarket Street and North Main Street, from westbound to eastbound.

Other proposals include making Grenville Place one-way eastbound, with westbound traffic using nearby Grattan Place to help reduce congestion around Mercy University Hospital .

Ambulance parking bays

The strategy, which was drawn up with consultants MVA Systra Group and

Arup

, also aims to increase the number of parking bays for ambulances at Mercy University Hospital from two to four.

The strategy also envisages the upgrade of a number of junctions, the provision of new footpaths and cycle lanes, and the installation of more CCTV cameras in the city centre. It is proposed to introduce the strategy on a phased basis, and one of the longer-term proposals involves MacCurtain Street reverting back to a two-way system, as in the 1960s.

The more immediate proposed changes to St Patrick’s Street and other streets will go on display at Cork City Hall until May, with submissions from the public invited before June 5th.