'Decluttering' facelift to Cork City's main street proves controversial among taxi drivers

Billed as a 'decluttering and greening' of St Patrick Street, the initiative will run for 12 to 18 months in the plaza outside Brown Thomas and the area by Dunnes Stores.

Cork City Council has published images of how the city’s main street will look in a few weeks’ time after a midsummer facelift introduces trees, flowerbeds, and seating.

Billed as a “decluttering and greening” of St Patrick Street, the initiative will run for 12 to 18 months in the plaza outside Brown Thomas and the area by Dunnes Stores.

The council said the measures, which are funded by the National Transport Authority (NTA), are aimed at “enhancing public transport in the city centre and … creating a greener and more welcoming space in the heart of the city centre”.

Part of the decluttering will include the removal of the old busman’s hut, a taxi shelter, and the trolley bay outside Dunnes Stores. 

Bus stops will also be moved from the St Patrick’s Street and Winthrop St plaza, relocating a short distance away to just north of Maylor St.

More controversial will be what the council has said will be the temporary suspension of taxi stands, with a taxi driver representatives claiming that the flowerbeds will only benefit “homeless people and dossers”.

Derry Coughlan, of the Cork Taxi Association, said the decision to remove taxi ranks would result in “security issues”, and would mean tourists would no longer feel safe in the city centre.

“People just won’t come into the city at all, we can see the shopping centres are already drawing people out of town. If there’s no taxi rank, people won’t feel safe in town,” he said.

“The council are getting rid of taxi ranks and putting in flowerbeds that will be of no benefit whatsoever to anyone, except homeless people and dossers who will lie in them and pull up flowers.” 

However, Green Party councillor Oliver Moran said the city centre needs to be an attractive destination for the public.

“One of the messages we’ve heard loud and clear from the public is that people want more planting and green areas in the city centre. St Patrick Street in particular has been the subject of a lot of commentary like that,” he said.

“Ultimately, that’s to the benefit of people who depend on a vibrant city centre for their livelihoods, and taxi drivers are clearly among those."

Green Party councillor Oliver Moran said the city centre needs to be an attractive destination for the public.

Mr Moran said the whole of St Patrick Street is reserved exclusively for use by public transport and taxi drivers every afternoon.

“Making sure that the gardaí enforce that, and that the public respect it, should go hand-in-hand with this renewed focus on the street,” the Green Party councillor added.

A council spokesperson said the work on the eastern plaza will create more space for people and performance, creating “a more coherent and attractive design overall”.

“Combined, the work on both sides of the street will improve the overall visual appearance of the area,” they said.

“Cork City Council has engaged with key stakeholders — including bus operators, taxi representatives, disability access groups, businesses, and community organisations — to discuss the detail of the project.” 

Works are scheduled to commence in June, with the first phase including the relocation of the bus stops and the removal of the redundant street furniture.

Details of the scheme are available on Cork City Council’s website, with submissions invited from June 15.