EIGHT IN TEN people would like to see Capel Street in Dublin City Centre fully pedestrianised, a new survey on the future of the street has shown. 

Over the course of the summer Dublin City Council (DCC) put in place a number of measures on Capel Street and Parliament Street to facilitate outdoor dining and city reopening, creating 1,300 square metres of extra public space. 

These measures included making a section of the street traffic-free and also installing numerous buildouts, which provide space for restaurants and hospitality businesses to operate on a seven day basis.

Capel Street and Parliament Street were closed to vehicles on weekend evenings since the middle of June as part of a trial by Dublin City Council. 

In August, the Council launched a three-week public consultation on the traffic-free trial of the two streets.

Almost 7,000 people responded to Dublin City Council’s survey, which has been published this week, with 79% of people outlining that they want the entire street to be traffic-free.

94% of respondents said Capel Street being traffic-free significantly improved their experience of the street.

The majority of respondents (87%) said they would like to see a traffic-free arrangement for Parliament Street, with a further 7% preferring the street to be reduced to one lane. 

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Despite significant support for pedestrianisation of the streets, Dublin City Council has said further considerations on the impact of such a change is required. 

“It is clear that from the residents, businesses and general public that there is a strong desire to see a change from the current traffic arrangements to new arrangements with less traffic,” the council said. 

However, it added: “These options will have an effect on residents, businesses and traffic in the area, so a more detailed assessment on potential measures is required.”