Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

In mid-March of this year, the Commissioners of Public Works commissioned a traffic management study for the Phoenix Park and the following advertisement was published on 15 April 2006:

PHOENIX PARK TRAFFIC STUDY

The Phoenix Park is Ireland's premier National Historic Park, and Europe's largest enclosed city park. It is widely acknowledged as a valuable amenity resource and a major environmental lung for Dublin City. On the other hand there are competing demands arising from increased development and traffic congestion in Dublin City. As a result the Phoenix Park faces a number of challenges in ensuring it remains a sustainable, highly valued and safe recreational amenity.

Against this background the Commissioners of Public Works have commissioned Messrs. Faber Maunsell, Consulting Engineers to carry out a comprehensive traffic study of the Phoenix Park. The study will address the growing pressures on existing Phoenix Park infrastructure and develop proposals designed to protect the Phoenix Park and its users, both now and for the future, while making every effort to facilitate through traffic.

The study will analyse current and future commuting patterns, road safety issues and traffic management proposals. It will examine the potential for public traffic and road safety improvements. Proposals will be made for long-term management and monitoring of traffic in the Phoenix Park, in keeping with the objectives of the Phoenix Park Management Plan.

The study involves an extensive public consultation process with interested parties, which will take place over the coming weeks.

This advertisement sets out the background to the study, which included a public consultation process. A total of 26 submissions from the public were received——

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