Appendix F

Clifton Scannell Emerson - College Green Improvements

College Green Improvements

Client: Dublin City Council Date: 5thth February 2016 Job Number: 14_189

Document Control Sheet

ProjectName:Clonskeagh to City Centre CycleRoute

ProjectNumber:14_189

ReportTitle:College GreenImprovements

Filename:RPT-14_189-002

Issue No. / Issue Status / Date / Prepared by / Checked by
3rd / DRAFT / 5th February 2016 / SP / GE

Project Number: 14_189

Project: Clonskeagh to City Centre Cycle Route Title: College Green Improvements


Table of Contents

1Objectives...... 4

2Key Questions/ Constraints...... 4

3Issues for eachtransportmode...... 4

3.1LUAS...... 4

3.2Pedestrians...... 4

3.3Cyclists...... 5

3.4Buses...... 5

4OptionsConsidered...... 5


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Project Number: 14_189

Project: Clonskeagh to City Centre Cycle Route Title: College Green Improvements


1Objectives

Provide for transport function

  • FacilitateLUAS
  • Provide for increased pedestriansdemand
  • Provide for increased cyclistsdemand
  • Provide forbuses

Provide for Civic Space

  • Transport changes provide a significant Public Realmopportunity
  • Development plan identifies objectives for ‘Public Realm Improvement Space’ at College Green, a ‘Primary PublicSpace’.
  • Allow for better/more free movement of pedestrians andcyclists
  • Reduce trafficdominance
  • Allow opportunities to appreciate buildings andmonuments
  • Reduceclutter
  • A ‘place’ to meet, linger, appreciateetc.
  • Facilitate Civic/Ceremonialevents.

2Key Questions /Constraints

  • Can/should monuments be relocated (Ref. Conservation Officer report re symmetryof space)?
  • Can 100 westbound buses per hour be relocated to South Quays and ParliamentStreet?
  • Addresssafetyconcernsforcyclistmovements.Particularlycyclistsbeingguidedtoshare with buses between LUAS tracks and then crossing tracks onto DameStreet.
  • Pedestrian and Cyclist movement cannot be removed from College Green and volumes will increase significantly overtime.
  • The use of College Green by Pedestrians must be considered in terms of time as wellas space i.e. all green pedestrians movement, all traffic stopped. Uncontrolled crossing opportunity.
  • ExtenttowhichNorthboundLUASlinecanbeadjustedfrom RailOrderline(2.5m eitherside)

3Issues for each transportmode

3.1LUAS

  • 21 trams per direction perhour.
  • 55m long trams that are slow moving in thisenvironment.
  • Tram delay should be minimised (they should get through during first signalcycle)

3.2Pedestrians

  • Wider footpaths to allow bettermovement.
  • Shorter crossing points with frequent breaks in trafficflow.
  • Minimise obstacles and pinchpoints.
  • ‘Space’ to linger, meet, appreciateetc.


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Project Number: 14_189

Project: Clonskeagh to City Centre Cycle Route Title: College Green Improvements


3.3Cyclists

  • Provide for allmovements
  • Minimise mixing withpedestrians
  • Safety crossing tracks and mixing withbuses

3.4Buses

  • How many buses and what routes can beaccommodated

4OptionsConsidered

Drawings of Options 1 – 12 are attached in Appendix A. These options have been developed based on various previous options and consultations with various sections in DCC, NTA, TII and Dublin Bus.

The table in Appendix B provides a comparative assessment of these options. The various options have been split up based on four key questions:

1.Can a segregated facility for cyclists be provided to avoid cyclists travelling between the LUAS tracks and to avoid cyclists crossing the LUAS tracks at anangle?

2.Can / should the Henry Grattan and Thomas Davis monuments be retained inplace?

3.Can 200 buses eastbound and westbound per hour be relocated from CollegeGreen?

4.Can 100 Westbound buses per hour be relocated to SouthQuay?

Figure 4.1 on the next page shows a breakdown of the considered options based on these key questions.


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SafetyRank1

2

3

Figure 4.1 – Analysis of Considered Options – Preferred Option

Project Number: 14_189

Project: Clonskeagh to City Centre Cycle Route Title: College Green Improvements


Option 10 is similar to the option progressed initially but allows more space for cyclists to turn across LUAS tracks by moving the Northbound LUAS line westward.

Option 11 has the advantage of not requiring relocation of the Monuments or westbound buses.

In relation to pedestrian movements and considering both time and space, we believe the Public Realm objectives can be met, while retaining the historical symmetry of the space.

Day-to-day pedestrian movement is substantially enhanced with wider footpaths in front of Bank of Ireland and in front of commercial premises on the southern side of College Green. Pedestrians crossing will be catered for by wrap-around all green pedestrian phase at Trinity junction [no traffic movement for 25 seconds in each 90 seconds], and a new pedestrian crossing at Church Lane to Foster Place.

Pedestrians will also move relatively freely across the 3.25m bus only lanes either side of the monuments uncontrolled.

The space for meeting, lingering, appreciation of buildings and monuments etc., is still available particularly on widened area in front of Foster Place.

For key civic/ceremonial events the buses would need to be diverted as occurs at present Option 11 also allows more space for right turn cyclists onto Dame Street at a right angle.

Option 9 does not require the relocation of the monuments but due to space constrictions it does not allow for much clearance between the Thomas Davis monument and the eastbound cycle lane.

This Option proposes to remove westbound buses from College Green but retains eastbound services.

A large Pedestrian Plaza would be provided on the north side outside Bank of Ireland

This option provides cycle lanes in both directions along Dame St, but westbound cyclists from the College St direction are required to travel between the LUAS lines and then to cross the tracks at an angle.

Option 7 is similar to Option 6 but allows for some westbound buses through College Green.

It has the advantage of fully segregated cyclists and could be further developed to retain monuments in current location.

Further modelling would be required to assess what limited proportion of the 100 westbound buses per hour could be retained on College Green.

Option 6 has the advantage that the monuments are not relocated, cyclists are fully segregated from both buses and the LUAS tracks between College Street and Dame Street.

This option does however require all westbound buses to be relocated. Peak hour bus flows are approx. 100 arriving from South Quays, O’Connell Street, and North Quays and going towards South Great Georges Street and Dame Street west of Parliament Street.


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Project Number: 14_189

Project: Clonskeagh to City Centre Cycle Route Title: College Green Improvements


The potential for the South Quays and Parliament Street to cater for 100 additional buses needs further investigation.

Bus stops on the south Quays appear at capacity and therefore additional bus stops are likely to be required on the western end of Dame Street.

Relocation of Westbound buses would make bus stops for these 100 buses per hour more remote from the main Retail area of Grafton Street and Trinity College.

Option 12 is ideal from a Public Realm, Pedestrian, Cyclist and Luas perspective.

This option would provide a full shared pedestrian / cyclist plaza at College Green with cyclists being fully segregated from both buses and LUAS facilities.

The removal of the need for a pedestrian crossing for northbound / southbound pedestrian movements allows for a much more comfortable pedestrian environment without any delay.

With the provision of a full plaza at College Green, there is greater scope for streetscaping and civic space development. A full plaza could cater for civic ceremonies as well as providing a space for meeting, lingering, appreciation of buildings and monuments etc. This option does not require relocation of the monuments so the existing symmetry of the space can be retained.

Possibility of reducing cycle time at traffic signals outside Trinity College, thus improving services for northbound / southbound buses and LUAS as well as allowing for a more frequent pedestrian stage between the proposed plaza and Trinity College.

Possibility of allocating Grafton Street (Lower) / Nassau Street for use by taxi services.

Alternative routing of buses requires significant further analysis in relation to the impact on bus operations,accessibilitytobususers,relocationofbusstops,busstopcapacities,trafficre-routingand potential congestion points in the wider network of streetsaffected.

Further work is also required in relation to the design of the new civic space to ensure it can operate successfully.


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