Press Release: Environment 9 May 2007

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Green 'vision for Dublin' imagines a traffic-free, pedestrian-friendly city centre

Docklands eco-town, marine parks and Liffey Valley park also part of proposals

The Green Party today launched its 'vision for Dublin,' and proposed to remove traffic from College Green, to create a new civic library at the Bank of Ireland on College Green, and to put the pedestrian first by setting a maximum waiting time of 30 seconds for pedestrians at city centre crossings. The document sets out the Party's plans to ensure that Dublin achieves its full potential as one of the finest capital cities in Europe.

Green Party Leader and Dublin North TD Trevor Sargent said "The Green Party has a vision that will see the transformation of Dublin 's city centre, bay, mountains and waterway network. Our vision will see local communities transformed into a model of sustainable urban living with first class facilities for citizens and visitors alike.
"The Green Party wants to revolutionise Dublin's city centre, making it a vibrant commercial, social, artistic and civic area promoting pedestrian, rather than motorised, traffic. To this end we are proposing taking all through traffic other than public transport vehicles out of College Green, creating a new Civic Library at the Bank of Ireland on College Green and putting the pedestrian first by setting a maximum waiting time of 30 seconds for pedestrians at city centre crossings.

Green Party TD for Dublin South Eamon Ryan said: "At the moment, the Docklands area of the City is hugely under utilised. The Green Party believes that this part of Dublin has the potential to be become a world-leading 'eco town'. Such an 'eco town' is based around the idea of building carefully-designed neighbourhoods to the highest energy standards. The principle of sustainability is also extended to transport planning so that pedestrians and cyclists are prioritised across the town.
"Ireland's first 'eco town' would have the capacity for 10,000 green family homes and would be a pioneer in environmentally friendly practices such as waste-reduction programmes, recycling initiatives, renewable energy sources and an extensive public transport network."

Green Party TD for Dún Laoghaire Ciarán Cuffe said: "Dublin Bay is a fantastic resource that has come under increasing development pressure in recent years. We're proposing a new Dublin Bay Authority to manage and protect the Bay into the future.
"With the Green Party in government, this Authority's activities will include the regeneration of the Baths around the Bay in places like Dún Laoghaire, Blackrock and Clontarf. It will ensure that the proposed Sutton to Sandycove walking and cycle route becomes a reality. The Authority will also ensure the provision of greater access to the water for anglers, swimmers and boat users. The Authority will also be charged with the creation of a Marine Park, initially in the area between Sandycove and the East Pier in Dún Laoghaire . The Green Party will also put an end to any more infilling of Dublin Bay."

Green Party TD for Dublin South Central John Gormley said: "At the moment, many Dubliners feel that local government is not working for them. Dubliners are poorly represented in local government with only one councillor for every 8600 people compared to a 1:3700 ratio in the rest of the country. The Green Party is proposing the establishment of a new single Dublin Authority headed by a directly elected Mayor and Council which would hold office for five years. The Greater London Authority provides the blueprint for this model of local government."

Green Party TD for Dublin West Paul Gogarty said: "The suburbs and villages of Dublin have been over-run by traffic and lost much of their atmosphere over the last twenty years of Dublin's growth. We will ensure that every neighbourhood has a main street or town centre that is pedestrian-friendly with a proper traffic plan, different uses and activities in its centre and people living over the shop.

"We believe huge potential exists for creating a joined-up network of public parks throughout the Liffey, Dodder and Tolka valleys. We envisage a Liffey Valley national park stretching from Islandbridge to Straffan, which will incorporate both recreational resources as well as protected wildlife habitats.

"We will also ensure that no-one has to wait for public transport. We will build a state-of-the-art Luas and Metro network that will cover the entire city. New cleaner buses and trains will mean that no citizen is more than a ten minute walk away from a public transport route, making it easier to leave the car at home and easing the gridlock that plagues so many commuters every day."