Limerick city centre pedestrianisation plans scaled back due to trader concerns

Catherine Street will now only be closed to cars on Sundays from 11am until Mondays at 2am.

Limerick city centre

Plans to temporarily pedestrianise parts of Limerick city centre in a bid to boost trading during Covid-19 restrictions have been scaled back, with one of the city’s main thoroughfares no longer set to be fully closed to cars.

Billed as an opportunity to trial innovative measures while facilitating social distancing, draft proposals published recently by Limerick City and County Council aimed to transform Limerick into a “pop-up urban playground”.

As well as a strong emphasis on improved cycling networks, the plans proposed the temporary pedestrianisation of parts of the city so that traders could bring their businesses out on the street. This included thoroughfares like Catherine Street, Denmark Street, Howley’s Quay and Nicholas Street.

However, the draft plans have been amended, despite the majority of public submissions received by the council being “broadly in favour of the proposals”. This is due to “serious concerns” raised by traders, according to the council. In particular, the closure of Catherine Street to cars was seen as a point of contention.

Following amendments, the street, which runs in parallel to O’Connell Street, will now only be closed to cars on Sundays from 11am until Mondays at 2am. The street may also be closed to cars on Fridays and Saturdays evenings for organised events. The council will also consider the "buildouts of footpaths" to facilitate parklets.

Howley’s Quay will also be closed to traffic from 11am on Sundays to 2am on Mondays. Between Denmark Street and Robert Street will be closed to traffic between 6pm to 2am on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and traffic will be restricted to residents only on Nicholas Street between 11am until 6pm daily.

Road space is also set to be reassigned, planning is to be fast-tracked on two cycle lanes and an “advisory” 25km/h speed limit is being introduced in parts of the city centre, as well as click-and-collect. The decision to amend the plan was made following a meeting between the council and councillors this week.

“I was disappointed as councillors were only given the option to vote for an amended plan, we weren’t given the option to vote for the original plan,” said Connor Sheehan, a Labour councillor who opposed the changes. “I felt the original plan had more ambition, and it had Catherine Street at the heart of it. That street needs a bit of life in it, and we need to be brave and ambitious here. It's only temporary, we could have trialled it for two weeks and then reviewed it.”

Sarah Kiely, one of the Fine Gael councillors who backed the amendments, said the plan is still "overwhelming" positive. "This is only the start of changes. The cycling infrastructure that is being fast-tracked is very positive, as are plans to animate the city through performances and events." Traders and employers were not consulted prior to the publication of the draft proposals, she added. "We need to be listening to everyone. The original plans weren't fair because the voices of traders weren't heard."

More than 255 of the 464 public submissions were in favour of the proposals, 163 raised issues and 45 were neutral. The "vast majority" of the original plan is to be implemented, according to the council.