Sharon Keogan warns Dublin footfall collapse amid transport policies
Sharon Keogan spoke in the Dáil about a steep decline in footfall in Dublin City Centre and criticised current transport policy. She argued that reallocations of road space by the National Transport Authority and Dublin City Council punish motorists, delivery drivers and tradespeople and called for a full parliamentary debate on the impacts.
Footfall decline figures
Since 2007 Sharon Keogan said footfall on Henry Street has fallen by 48% and on Grafton Street by 51%. She described these statistics as more than numbers, saying they represent livelihoods lost, shutters pulled down and communities hollowed out.
Data and measurement concerns
Keogan warned that pedestrian data has been distorted by changes in measurement, noting that camera numbers doubled in 2012 and created an illusion of growth. She pointed out that even a former city manager, Owen Keegan, acknowledged the problem when asked by stakeholders and asked how sound policy can be made with skewed data.
Roadspace reallocation and impacts
She criticised the National Transport Authority and Dublin City Council for reallocating road space in a way that she says punishes motorists, delivery drivers and tradespeople - the people who keep the city functioning. Keogan also questioned claims about sustainability, arguing that electric vehicle users are treated no better than diesel drivers and asking whether measures are about the environment or about control.
Policy alternatives and critique
Keogan rejected the framing of transport as a zero-sum game between cars and buses or cars and cyclists and pointed to infrastructure options that could increase public transport without hurting motorists. She cited the delayed metro plan as an example and accused the Government of lacking the ambition to develop plans that help all citizens rather than only those commuting from affluent suburbs.
Call for parliamentary debate and transparency
Sharon Keogan called for a full debate in the House on the real-world impact of current transport policy, covering emissions, commerce and community. She urged that transparency, balance and the voice of the people be brought back into decision-making on Dublin transport policy.
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Thank you very much. Before I start, I would like to welcome my colleague Councillor Aberdeen, the Independent from County Cork, here this afternoon. I am a little bit sick to tell you the Goldstone's truth of members coming in here asking for debates with the Housing Minister when Sinn Féin colleagues around this country are voting against housing developments. We had that this morning for 79 houses in Ashbourne and County Mead. I am sick of it. I rise today to express deep concern of the ongoing decline in footfall in Dublin City Centre, a decline that is not just economic but symbolic of a city losing its accessibility, vitality and common sense. Since 2007, footfall on Henry Street has stopped by 48% and on Grafton Street by 51%. These are not just numbers. These are livelihoods lost, shutters pulled down and communities hollowed out. And yet we continue to pursue a transport policy that seems more ideological than practical. The National Transport Authority and Dublin City Council have reallocated road space in a way that punishes motorists, delivery drivers and tradespeople, the very people who keep this city functioning. We are told this is about sustainability, but when electric vehicles users are treated no better than diesel drivers, one has to ask is this really about the environment or about control? We now know that pedestrian data has been distorted by changes in how footfall is measured, with camera numbers doubling in 2012, creating the illusion of growth where there was none. Even former city manager Owen Keegan acknowledged this when asked by stakeholders, how can we make sound policy with skewed data? Part of the decision too is that we continue to see transport as a zero-sum game, cars versus buses or cars versus cyclists. The fact is that there are infrastructure options that can increase public transport without hurting motors, such as the delayed metro plan. Sadly, the Government appears to lack the ambition for plans that can help all of our citizens and not just those who bike it in from the leafy suburbs of Dublin 4. I am calling for a full debate in this House on the real-world impact on current transport policy, not just on emissions but on commerce, community and common sense. Let us bring transparency, balance and the voice of the people back into the room.
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