Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Phoenix Park is a much-loved amenity and natural asset. It is not just for the people of Dublin 15 and west Dublin, whom I work for, but for the whole country. People came to the park for the visit of the Pope in 1979, which was my first visit. They come to visit Jinpa, the red panda, in Dublin Zoo. They come to play GAA or cricket, which is the fastest growing sport in west Dublin. They use it for a weekly walk. The Phoenix Park is not your average park and there are very strongly held views about how the park is managed. It is a busy, living and breathing park, and we want it to be used and enjoyed. We must also ensure it is protected as a home for biodiversity and nature. It requires a balance of needs and those needs have changed over the past decade, and need to change further, based on our sustainability and climate change agendas.

The transport and mobility study last year gave us an opportunity to debate and discuss the changes required and the needs of the park. The Office of Public Works, OPW, and the Minister listened to people who said they want better and safer cycling facilities and walking trails and paths, and better and safer links to the park, including by public transport. They do not want the park to be used only as a commuter highway into town or as an all-day car park for commuters. Can we please not throw the baby out with the bathwater?

Every week, I receive voicemail messages from older people who used to use Chesterfield Avenue, which runs the length of the park, for parking to access walks in areas that are unspoiled and are not congested. They cannot find places to park anymore. They need alternatives to be able to enjoy the park and spread out across it.

I thank the OPW for its engagement with Dublin Zoo to address its parking needs. Additional spaces have been provided on North Road. Councillor Siobhán Shovlin from Castleknock has suggested age-friendly spaces and says the needs of our elderly are not being addressed. I agree with her. We need alternatives and more information about how people can access parking. Perhaps an application could tell people where car parking is available across the various pockets of the park.

I would like to hear about the progress of the trial for a bus to run from Heuston Station to the Cabra gate. I believe that, as part of the trial, it was found that the bus did not fit through the gate. I reiterate the views of the community, who would prefer a shuttle bus that brings people to all different parts of the park. We should consider a dedicated and climate-friendly electric bus to bring people all over the park.

The 30 km/h speed limit on Chesterfield Avenue is not working. I am all for such a speed limit, especially in densely-populated areas such as estates, where there are volumes of children. That would apply to certain areas of the park but Chesterfield Avenue is a straight road on which people are highly alert and enjoying the scenery around them. Drivers are trying to observe the 30 km/h speed limit but with the best will in the world, they are not doing so. This is where people get frustrated. We are trying to bring them on a green and sustainable journey with us, as we need to. When people see things like that speed limit, it frustrates them. The limit is not workable or practical for people and is putting them off. Can we be green and practical?

We have heard loud and clear from the OPW that cars are not welcome in the park but that also affects people who visit the park. The OPW has tried to close three of the gates to exiting traffic and is not providing alternative parking spaces. The 30 km/h speed limit is not workable for cars. The OPW is telling us that cars are not welcome but when there are not sufficient public transport links, it is telling us that people are not welcome. There is a fear that the OPW is working alone and not with county councils. When the OPW makes decisions, it impacts on the surrounding communities and the county councils are having to deal with those impacts. We want co-operation. Everybody wants to reduce car use and traffic but the OPW must work with the area, as has been said by Councillor Colm O'Rourke of Dublin City Council.