Traffic and north Dublin

Sir, – A glance at a map of north Dublin shows that there are six main traffic routes accessing the city centre, with access limited by the eight bridges across the Tolka, and seven across the Royal Canal (there are 11 bridges across the Dodder, and 12 crossing the Grand Canal).

Three of these routes, Malahide, Howth and Clontarf Roads converge into a single road through Marino/Fairview, before dividing again to access two of the eight bridges which cross the Tolka via Annesley Bridge Road and Fairview Strand.

These routes serve one-third of the population of north Dublin and provide access to the Mater, Temple Street Children’s, Rotunda and Holles Street hospitals as well as the city centre.

A senior engineer with Dublin City Council speaks of four traffic lanes being reduced to three, without acknowledging that there were six traffic lanes in Fairview until March 2022, and the loss of two of these lanes has already caused traffic chaos and diversion of traffic into residential areas in East Wall and Marino (“Ban on inbound traffic on Dublin’s North Strand comes into force”, News, August 8th). He reassures us that we will have much improved bus lanes and a new protected bike lane, but does not state if the ban on other traffic from Fairview to Five Lamps will be reversed when the work is complete. We received an information leaflet on August 3rd for a change occurring on August 8th. There was no consultation with those affected.

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All traffic is to be diverted through Fairview Strand a small street with a church, school, busy funeral home, doctor’s and dentist’s surgeries, and several businesses on it which is a well-known bottleneck at the best of times and has two other routes entering it before the bridge.

The blithe advice to consider other modes of transport ignores the fact that much of the traffic going through Fairview comprises tradesman’s vans, construction traffic, delivery vans, and people who cannot use other forms of transport for health or other reasons.

This route closure would be equivalent to closing Pembroke Road and Morehampton Road on the southside to inbound traffic, and routing all cars through Shelbourne Road. It will have significant effects on businesses and residents of northside Dublin. – Yours, etc,

SÍLE UÍ LAIGHIN,

Cluain Tarbh,

Baile Átha Cliath 3.