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Yeah leave it as it is, do nothing until the problems spill out to your more “attractive” areas. O’Connell Street is an iconic area, you wouldn’t hear this kind of crap from the French if it were the Champs-Elysées. I have a simple message for the powers that be, get your heads out of your arses and go fix it!
I think they should pave the northbound lane and have north/south bound street traffic on the other lane. they should have outdoor seating on the paved section and encourage more family type restaurants, coffee shops and entertainment venues to open (small bars with live music or comedy etc). Henry street is always bustling but north earl street could do with a make over to encourage people to cross to the other side and maybe more people will venture over to whatever Clearys will be. I think David Norris’s idea of moving the abbey to O’Connell Street world be a great. I think they should take down the spire and build a replica of the pillar and put O’Connell up there instead. Also at one point in time there was quite a lot of Chinese people living in Parnell street and that area was looking like it was going to become the Chinatown for Dublin but why didn’t the City Council embrace that at the time and clean up the street and narrow the traffic lanes and install apt street lightning and decoration? That would encourage more restaurants to open and maybe get more people walking through O’Connell Street to get to Parnell street.
David, I was thinking about what made Temple Bar and Grafton Street a success – the out door seating and encouraging people to to and rest – have a coffee and enjoy the atmosphere – I would get rid of all the traffic – but we are stuck with the Luas I think – but the buses are too tall and traffic divides the street in two and making crossing an impossible nightmare – a complete pedestrian area where one could wander from side to side and have loads of foot space would help a lot. The paths are too crowded and the crossings to long and difficult to make shop browsing interesting.
I do appreciate that taking buses and taxis and other traffic off O’Connell Street would have a knock on effect – but there are solutions – radical ones – and I am not talking about congestion charges or banning cars completely.
I can see a vision of people sitting outside having coffee or a drink or snack on the existing foot path – and maybe even some odd stalls and street traders (although I have not thought this through) – and general public seating as well and some major flower/plant tubs, feathures and decorations too.
I am of course thinking what would get me, a Dubliner, back into O’Connell Street and why I might take any foreign visitors to see it – and really it is so long since I was there and have never seen it important to bring anyone save for visiting the GPO and the history.
It needs someone or rather lots of people with good reasonable and far seeing ideas to put their heads together – sort out the street and the people and the shops and businesses will wort out them selves, even if that does mean a few fast food chains, at least it gets the people in. Some kind of rail car could be interesting – just running up and down beside the Luas line or even on the Luas line following the luas loop – linking College Green and Parnell Square….
I could go on and on and on and write about what I have seen elsewhere – but sure no one will listen to me really and make no difference and I will only get frustrated with the lack of joined up thinking that takes place without a vision or understanding the consequence.
i would like to see small performance areas added (bandstand sized), that could attract footfall and even contribute to maintenance of the street if managed correctly.
You must be on the same wavelength as me Niall… I was also in the frame of mind of ‘if I were to bring a visiting friend to O’Connell Street, what would I like to see’. Also I had sent on an email to the department of transport before to suggest bringing back some of the old trams to circle the new line between O’Connell Street and Stephens Green… I think tourists especially would love it. (they were toying with the idea of a overhead cable car for Dublin at the time and that was my alternative suggestion)
Great ideas David. I completely agree. We need to make the most of what we have. Oconnell street has so much history and beautiful architecture. We cannot change the weather so let’s cover is sections of the pavements so restaurants and people can use them all year round, outdoor heaters etc. It could be similar to Covent Garden nThe Garda should police Oconnell street and the city on Segways constantly with zero tolerance for any crime or layabouts. Tourism is key to our economic growth so let’s provide an attractive safe city.
Good suggestions.
But what needs to be done before closing any lanes, is a complete restructuring of the Dublin Bus Network. Why does nearly every single us need to go through O’Connell St?
Make the area safe and get rid of the drunks and drug users off their head and causing a nuisance. It doesn’t matter what bars/restaurants/ entertainment venues are there, if I don’t feel safe I’m not going.
Just you wash and scrub your own filthy streets guys.
In my 3 years in Dublin I only ever saw McDonalds scrubbing the street outside their shop
In Europe every shop has to scrub the footh-path to the front by law.
Thus every single shop scrubs the pavement in front every morning.
That is why you can “eat your dinner off the street” in Oslo or Copenhagen or virtually everywhere else on the Continent.
Whats the rates, property tax, and all the taxes we pay for then? If the government/council are that stuck for cash they should ask the big corporations for even 0,5% raise.
I hate to say it but I totally agree with Aaron this time. Keeping O’Connell Street a ‘sterile’ environment makes it a quite boring place for anyone including tourists to visit. Plus I hate having to walk all the way over to Dame Street to see boobies.
There is a planned shopping centre in the north half of the street which would bring a lot of life there. It’s really not rocket science to regenerate the rest of it, if the council wants to. And giving up on a big wide main street because of drug use is ridiculous. Again, it’s not rocket science to put Gardai on the street and adopt a zero tolerance policy.
It is interesting to compare O’Connell street now to Sackville Street as it was originally known. Referring to the beauty of Sackville Street the architect R.M. Butler, writing in Studies remarked that ‘it was as perfect an example of an important eighteenth century thoroughfare as could be found in Europe’ http://archive.irishartsreview.com/gpairisartsrevi/pdf/1988/20492060.pdf.bannered.pdf
Yes when there were no trees in the center, it was a thoroughfare for the well-to-do to ramble up and down showing off and meeting people. I think they should pedestrianize the street, and have a ‘park’ running down the center. I can imagine this at christmas, having a big proper christmas market in it. And have more high end shops, boutiques, little unique coffee shops, etc.
Sure, but that was back in the 18th century when the north side of the city was apparently the more desirable side. Bayer hadn’t even invented Heroin then.
Very accurate observation Aaron. O ‘Connell street has been an eyesore in the capital for a long time now. It highlights the ill conceived (replacement) for Nelson’s column marks the end of the shopping route and the beginning of an apparent social degeneration timeline. Gaps between large Georgian buildings, junkies shouting across streets intimidating tourists and bypassers and constantly moving (often aggressive) traffic that probably isn’t necessary if an alternative route were provided.
Prior to the most important centenary that the country will showcase next year, the council/local authority should push the drug rehab centres out of the city, make it like Grafton street and maybe consider a tourist point, much like Nelsons column allowing people to the roof or balcony to admire the city. Maybe invite tenders for lower taxes rentals for shop fonts, and business incentives to preserve and regenerate that part of dublin that is seemingly decomposing.
This is twice now I have agreed with Mr. McKenna, shocked!
O’Connell street is just the street you pass through on your way to somewhere nicer… It’s characterless and has nothing of interest, it’s just a place you go to catch a bus, which isn’t even great as they’ve moved bus stops onto the bridge!!
Thank Zeus for the wider footpads, allows me to make a wider track around all the drunks and drug addicts, always keep my head down on that street…
Sackville place has a couple of grotty old pubs and a taxi rank and usually smells of urine, as do all the other side streets… You’re either dodging getting hit by a bus, taxi or Luas.. so I do my best to avoid the street…
What can fix it? Clean up all the addicts, drunks and general large number of scangers, otherwise it will remain a no-go area at night times when it should be a bustling street where people can socialise in safety…
The sad reality is that 30 years ago O’Connell St was a kip. Today however, after many Dublin Corporation initiatives, schemes, plans & developments & at least a couple of hundred million Euros has been spent on it – it’s now an even bigger kip !! Well done everyone, keep up the good work !!
Camden/Aungier st is the heart of Dublin? ! Catch yourself on! For you Espresso drinking, chickpea eating North side defectors maybe, but your upwardly mobile group doesn’t constitute the rest of the capitals population, not to mention the tourists. Neither of which flock around them 2 streets full of Moroccan restaurants and pubs frequented by yaw-yaws.
Could we not make it how it was back in old days, I know many old people from Dublin or from the country said it was a great place those day with the ball rooms, clubs, bars, restaurants etc…
Until the Northside /Southside divide in Dublin is tackled O Connell street will always be the second relation to Grafton street. Its a pity as O Connell streets’ potential vastly exceeds anything Grafton street is or could offer. Look at Berlin. The West Berliners after reunification quickly grasped their opportunity and Unter den Linden (formally part of East Berlin) is one of the finest shopping streets in europe now. Same aspect. Same width. One lost opportunity, one gained.
The methadone clinics should be moved from the city centre to a purpose built compound in the docks. That would remove the junkies from the city centre in large numbers and with a proper treatment facility down there maybe some of them could get clean.
“We could do with sweeping the street and its surroundings of the people who would make you think twice about pausing to gaze in a shop window or have a coffee on the street. ”
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