Remaking a city centre: Plan will work if rules enforced
It may be unrealistic to expect a constabulary unable to open any sexual assault cases for more than two years to police traffic violations. Yet, figures showing a marginal increase in footfall in Cork’s St Patrick’s Street since car access was curtailed suggest the idea might be even more successful if it was policed effectively.
The Pana ban excludes private cars between 3pm to 6.30pm so buses might become more reliable. Yet, according to Labour councillor John Maher the veto is ignored every day. The situation has worsened in recent weeks and officials need to tackle it, he warned.
This seems yet another example of our enthusiasm for enacting regulations but not enforcing them. In this instance, that seems particularly frustrating as the initial fears around the proposal, radical by our standards, were shown to be groundless by an increase in the number of people, even if marginal, using the city centre.
Enforcement, making the city’s residents do no more than observe the regulations, will be more relevant if new traffic plans concentrated around MacCurtain St and St Patrick’s Quay come to pass.
These measures will help rejuvenate a city centre but they will do much more too. Making the streets more bus-friendly has meant an increase in city bus journeys from 10m in 2013 to 16m this year. This is a significant advance on so many levels — social, transport, environmental — and will should continue if services and policing are improved.
