Limerick councillors plan for 'partial' pedestrianisation of Catherine Street

COUNCILLORS have amended the post Covid-19 mobility plan so only a small portion of Catherine Street will be temporarily pedestrianised.

The decision, which came off the back of significant opposition from traditional traders, will mean that the block of the street between the junction with Glentworth Street and the junction with Cecil Street will see a temporary car ban.

The remainder of the street will remain the same in a move which, while welcomed by more than 100 traders who lobbied the council in opposition, has also been criticised by many hospitality retailers who came down on the other side of the argument.

The vast majority of the rest of Limerick Council’s mobility plan – designed to boost trade and footfall in the wake of the pandemic – will also stay unchanged, after a decision was reached following a three-hour long private meeting yesterday.

It means that temporary pedestrianisation will be in place in Denmark Street, Robert Street, Howley’s Quay and Nicholas Street, while other measures will see a new 25 kilometre per hour advisory speed limit in place.

Public art will be put on display, and outdoor dining will be promoted. While these measures will be put in place immediately, pedestrianisation will need to go through a number of formal procedures before it can be introduced.

Metropolitan district leader Sarah Kiely, Fine Gael said she believes a fair compromise has been reached at. But Green Party councillor Sasa Novak says she believes Limerick will lose out to other cities as a result.

She said the document remains live, and can be amended as time goes on.

"People were saying we should have gone with the original plan. The original plan did not have everyone’s voice heard. Maybe 95% of that plan is still being implemented. The only piece that isn’t being implemented is the full pedestrianisation of Catherine Street,” Cllr Kiely who chaired yesterday’s meeting, told the Limerick Leader.

“We can’t just have one side heard on this. For what it’s worth I am a cyclist and a pedestrian, but I’m also a public representative, and I have to hear everyone’s side and afford them the opportunity to meet the executive,” she added.

Cllr Kiely pointed out a huge number of other parts of the city have been designed for pedestrians in mind.

“Why would we pedestrianise Catherine Street against the will of the rate payers when we’vbe other spaces we can do the same thing in,” the chairman added.

“We only have a 10 week window, so I really hope people see our best intentions,” she added.

However, the Limerick Green Party say they are extremely disappointed with the plan.

Cllr Novak said: “I am, after seeing the amended version of the draft Guiding Limerick through Covid-19 plan, extremely disappointed. The only contentious issue was the reduced pedestrianisation, specifically on Catherine Street. I proposed that we look at the original plan as an option again with the only amendment to make Catherine Street a one way street with wide footpaths and a few spaces for EU parking permit holders and a few click and collect, similar to what is already there in lower Catherine Street.”

She pointed out the original plan was endorsed by the Limerick Chamber, as well as traders on Catherine Street.

“We had a plan in line with international best practice. We had the public who is the customer in the city in favour of this plan. Yet we were forced to backtrack. We have 15 off-street car parks and over 3,000 on-street spaces in the city. And if we focus just on the people driving to the city, what we don’t have are safe streets and wide footpaths to bring people from their parking spot to the city to safely queue for the shop, to be able to sit down at a cafe, a restaurant or a pub,” she said.

Cllr Novak said Limerick could now lose out on tourism to towns and cities like Ennis Waterford and Kilkenny.

“They have already made their cities welcoming and pretty weeks and months ago. The whole country knows it, it’s been in the news, on social media,” she said.

“We in Limerick Greens argue that international best practice has shown over and over again that pedestrianisation works when it's done right. We don't have to go far for an example, the most valuable retail space in the country is on Grafton Street in Dublin which hasn't had a car down it for nearly 40 years,” the northside councillor concluded.