Richmond Road residents protest against rogue drivers mounting …
Residents of Richmond Road in north Dublin staged a protest this morning against drivers mounting the footpath and posing a threat to safety.
he residents are calling on Dublin City Council to introduce a parking permit scheme in April, rather than the planned date in June, to reduce traffic flow on the narrow street.
Locals have said the street has become a “rat run” with cars and HGVs driving and parking on the footpath, while residents are being “abused” to move out of the way.
Locals, who have been campaigning since 2017, were up bright and early to protest at 7.30am on the footpath.
Resident Andrew Cahill said: “We are trying to get things moving and engage with Dublin City Council. We want them to get the finger out and get the ball rolling on this permit scheme.”
As the protest took place, a HGV attempted to drive down the road despite signage in place prohibiting 3.5 tonne vehicles, and gardai intervened.
Residents of Richmond Road protesting this morning
Residents of Richmond Road protesting this morning
“It was a point proven, this is why we are out here,” said Mr Cahill. “The lorry had to drive on the footpath so as soon as it went past us, it went up onto the footpath.
“That lorry, you could repeat that situation 20 times a day and they shouldn’t be there.”
Residents previously raised concerns regarding abuse from drivers and were hesitant to protest this morning.
“We were worried about it, what if motorists became abusive on the way to work this morning. Thankfully there was no confrontation,” Mr Cahill said.
Richmond Road connects the Drumcondra Road with Fairview Strand and both routes are heavily congested during peak hours.
The parking scheme will accommodate about 30 parking spaces for residents. This would block off certain sections of the road from parking and leave gaps for traffic to weave through, preventing a need for vehicles to mount the footpath.
Councillor Naoise Ó Muirí, who was present at the protest, said: “The issue is a longstanding one with cars driving up on the footpaths. Residents are really frustrated about it, and rightly so.”
One of the posters highlighting the dangers for residents of Richmond Road
One of the posters highlighting the dangers for residents of Richmond Road
The former Lord Mayor of Dublin said the council has been working on a parking permit scheme which has been agreed by the residents, but there is a “delay” in implementing the plan.
“The residents have cooperated fully with that plan, and they just want it implemented. The council needs to get on it and do it,” he said.
He added that residents “understandably have a low threshold of confidence because it has been delayed and delayed”.
A spokesperson for Dublin City Council previously confirmed to Independent.ie that arrangements are being made to install signage. However, the scheme will not be introduced until-mid June due to IT software being installed.
Residents will continue to protest every week until the parking permit scheme is introduced on Richmond Road.
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