Businesses force council to drop traffic diversion plan

DUBLIN City Council has abandoned plans to free up a major traffic bottleneck in the heart of the city centre following the threat of legal action by department store Brown Thomas.

The council’s director of traffic, Owen Keegan, confirmed that opposition from traders in the Grafton Street area led by Brown Thomas had resulted in its decision to cancel plans to alter traffic flows in one of the city’s main shopping districts.

The council originally intended to divert traffic away from Mercer Street, where there is regular congestion due to the large number of cars using the adjoining car parks at the Stephen’s Green shopping centre and the Royal College of Surgeons.