Dr. Aideen Hartney:

I just reiterate the power of universal design in all of these things. What happens sometimes in these challenges over the shared spaces and the Covid adjustments is that one group in society is being pitted against another. We see that very much in the transport realm where it is, for example, cyclists versus pedestrians or bus users against car users, whereas we are aiming for having spaces that are designed for everybody. Again, it is back to that thing where it is not just people with disabilities who are impacted by these changes. It is older people, people trying to push a buggy or somebody trying to wheel a suitcase through Dublin city centre. Absolutely everybody can be impacted by this.

Even if something needs to be fast-tracked through, that should not negate consultation and meaningful engagement with people. It is not good enough for people to say they did not receive any submissions, if the entire consultation process was not accessible enough. Again, universal design and taking a universal design approach will help address those issues.