WEST STREET CLOSURE - WAS IT A SUCCESS OR FAILURE?
THE first of three trials to part-pedestrianise West Street took place over the weekend, and although there have been mixed responses to the experiment – including objections to the traffic chaos on Narrow West Street and the Bridge of Peace – the man whose idea it was, thought it was a positive exercise.
Mayor of Drogheda Kevin Callan said the first trial had shown ‘ how potential pedestrianisation would work’, and in terms of members of the public who came onto the pedestrianised section of the street, the feedback was very positive, with people walking into town for the first time ever and a number of families with young children and senior citizens said they really enjoyed the calm and relaxed atmosphere and having more room to shop, move around and to use the space.
A number of traders also expressed their concerns.
‘In terms of traffic we found that streets like Magdalene Street and Peter Street and Fair Street which are usually congested heavily were clear and flowing. One area where congestion was identified on Saturday was from Narrow West Street to Stockwell Street and down to the Haymarket Bridge which then led back towards the Garda Station,’ commented Mayor Callan. ‘ This issue has been noted and recognised going forward. The entire point of a trial is to see what works and what does not work and this has been identified’.
He pointed out that substantial funding for further street improvements has been secured, which will be visible in the coming weeks in terms of planting and street furniture from the National Transport Agency.
‘With COVID, this trial allowed us to experience a weekend when people were able to move around with far more space and to enjoy the town centre area,’ he added. ‘I was very pleased to see zero anti-social behaviour on the street on either day and also to have seen the traffic issues which we need to know exist.’
The next pedestrianisation is the weekend starting October 24th.