College Green pedestrian plaza trial criticised for barriers and security guards

Some barriers were removed later in the day

The first of three trial days which saw College Green temporarily transformed into a pedestrian plaza has been criticised for poor organisation.

Several people took to Twitter to complain, including Dublin City councillors, that the large number of metal barriers placed around the area were ruining the event.

Green Party councillor Neasa Hourigan tweeted that she was “delighted to see the pedestrianisation trial of College Green go ahead”, but that “security guards, thousands of metal barriers, pedestrians being refused access to the space and no cycle parking” was not what she had in mind.

Hourigan’s Green Party colleague, Cllr Patrick Costello tweeted that he “was all prepared for an amazing fun day on a pedestrianised College Green but what we met were barriers”. He added that there were “only four entry points with two security at each”.

One Trinity student who attended the event tweeted that the amount of barriers and security made it look like Dublin City Council were “expecting a riot”.

Some of the barriers were removed later on in the day, a decision welcomed by both Hourigan and Costello.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin and Fianna Fáil councillor, Paul McAuliffe, conceded that there was “plenty of things to tweek”, regarding the organisation of the day but that said that is the purpose of having a trial and that there was “plenty of family fun to be had” at the event.

Today’s event that was the first of three trial runs for a plan to turn the area outside Trinity’s Front Gate into a permanent pedestrian plaza.

Traffic will further be banned from College Green on Sunday July 28 and Sunday August 4.

Last October, An Bord Pleanála rejected a proposal from Dublin City Council to turn the area into a permanent pedestrian plaza due to the potential impact on bus routes and city-centre traffic.

Dublin City Council are thought to be preparing to submit new proposals to An Bord Pleanála in the coming months.

Finn Purdy

Finn Purdy is the current Deputy Editor of Trinity News. He is a Junior Sophister English Studies student, and a former News Editor and Assistant News Editor.