Charges for parking on some Dublin’s city centre streets are set to hit €4 an hour, bringing them on par with, or above rates for multi-storey carparks in the city.
Dublin City Council plans to increase on-street parking charges across all parking zones in the city from next year, with costs rising by more than 16 per cent in some areas.
Charges for the most expensive city centre “yellow zone” will increase from €3.50 to €4 an hour, while just outside this area the “red zone” charge will go from €3 to €3.50. The hourly rate in the outer “green zone” will increase from €1.80 to €2, while the low demand “orange zone” will go from €1.10 to €1.20.
The “blue zone” rate - which applies to some suburban villages - will rise from 80 cent to 90 cent, while the special city centre Sunday parking charge applying from 2pm to 6pm will increase from €1.60 to €1.80.
The increase brings the city centre charges above those of almost all indoor car parks on the northside of the inner city, with the Arnotts and Jervis Shopping Centre car parks charging €3 an hour and the council-owed car park at the Ilac centre charging €3.60 an hour. Over on the southside, several car parks are already charging €4 an hour, including the Grafton car park (formerly the Brown Thomas car park), while the council-owned Dawson Street car park charges €4.40 an hour.
However, almost all of the city’s multi-storey carparks offer discounts for day-long parking or other extended stays.
Meanwhile, the Draft Dublin City Centre Transport Plan, which proposes the reallocation of road space from cars to public transport services, cyclists and pedestrians will be available for public consultation from Friday until December 1st.
In what would be the most radical restriction on private traffic in the city in decades, cars would be banned from sections of the north and south quays, close to O’Connell Bridge; Parliament Street would be made traffic free; and new civic plazas would be created at the Custom House and at Lincoln Place near the back entrance to Trinity College.
The move follows a ban on cars from College Green since May, when the “bus gate” became a 24/7 measure, and the removal of cars from Capel Street last year. The plan would see far greater restrictions on private traffic, with the intention of eliminating the two out of every three cars that are using the city as a through route rather than a destination.
Two new “bus gates” would be introduced on the quays close to O’Connell Bridge, one on the northside at Bachelors’ Walk stopping cars and lorries from heading east towards the Custom House and the docklands. The other would be on Aston Quay on the southside, stopping private traffic from travelling from O’Connell Bridge in the direction of Heuston Station. Both restrictions are due to be in place from next year.
Private traffic would also be stopped turning left from Westland Row onto Pearse Street from next year, with vehicles instead having to turn right and move away from the city. This would require a new two-way traffic section from Westland Row to Sandwith Street. This change should result in significantly less traffic on Pearse Street heading towards Tara Street, allowing a reduction in traffic lanes and the introduction of two-way cycle lanes.
In 2025, a traffic-free plaza is to be created at the Custom House, either in between the historic building and the river, fully pedestrianising the quayside at this point, or at the Beresford Place side.
