1.1- Introduction
College Green is a major street/junction in the heart of Dublin City Centre which is well known in Ireland itself and throughout the world. It is likely that every tourist that visits Dublin from within the country or abroad has been in College Green, it is home to some of the major attractions in the capital in the form of Trinity College to the east, the old Parliament Buildings now Bank of Ireland to the north and the commercial facades created by the Wide Streets Commission after 1957 to the south.
Fig 1 Location of College Green, Dublin
College Green is currently a through route for a wide variety of transport modes which include public transport in the form of LUAS Cross city, Dublin Bus, Bus Eireann, private bus operators, taxis as well as deliveries, private cars, motor cyclists, pedal cyclists and pedestrians.
1.2- Rationale behind the College Green Plaza
LUAS Cross City opened in Dec 2017 presenting a new challenge for traffic engineers in Dublin City Council. Its introduction added a new street space hungry transport mode into College Green which needs to be managed in conjunction with all the existing transport modes within the area. The LUAS Cross city which now connects the Green LUAS line at St Stephens Green to the Red Line at Abbey Street and continues on to Broombridge has both its north and south bound tracks adjacent to College Green on Lower Grafton Street in front of Trinity College.
With LUAS trams now passing in front of Trinity College every 90 seconds the fight for available road space in this area has increased dramatically. In College Green prior to LUAS becoming operational there were three movements of traffic controlled by traffic lights, these were North to South, North to West and West to East/North with a phase required in the traffic lights to allow the huge numbers of pedestrians cross at College Green and Grafton Street Lower. As the North to East and West to North/East movements cross the new tramlines perpendicularly in front of Trinity College the amount of green time the traffic lights are allowed to allocate to these movements is greatly reduced as LUAS requires the main priority at junctions in the city.
Aware of this issue Dublin City Council in conjunction with the National Transport Authority went about seeking permission from An Bord Pleanala to develop a civic plaza at College Green. The introduction of a civic plaza at College Green will eliminate the North to East and West to North/East traffic movements thus removing the requirement of a green phase in the traffic lights for traffic turning from Grafton Street Lower on to College Green and vice versa thus giving greater priority to the LUAS. It will also provide a new amenity in the heart of the city for visitors and residents to enjoy.
Fig 2 LUAS Network. (Courtesy www.luascrosscity.ie)
Fig 3 Photomontage of Proposed College Green Civic Plaza (Courtesy www.irishtimes.ie)
The proposed civic plaza in College Green will be approximately 7,300m3 and will extend from Grafton Street Lower in the east to Anglesea Street to the west and include Fosters Place. The LUAS cross city will run along its eastern boundary on Grafton Street Lower in front of Trinity College and there will be a turning circle for buses at the east end at the junction of Church Lane.
Traffic management proposals due to be introduced to facilitate a civic plaza at College Green will have major implications for the city centre transportation network and the city’s residents and visitors alike. College Green is currently a Public Transport only route on Monday – Friday from 0700-1900 which means that only buses, taxis and cycles are allowed through the area during these times; private cars are banned during this period only. The introduction of the plaza will mean that this ban will be extended to all vehicles on a permanent basis which will require major rerouting of buses, taxis and the private car.
1.3- Dissertation Objectives
The aim of this dissertation is to conduct a critical analysis of the proposed introduction of a Civic Plaza in College Green Dublin City Centre. It will analysis the implications of the project for the various stakeholders and propose alternative layouts and designs throughout.
Chapter 2
2.1- History of College Green as a Transport Route
College Green has seen much transformation over the years and when it comes to modes of transport it has gone full circle on a few fronts. In the early 1900s trams and bicycles were the dominant mode of transport seen traversing College Green and now today we are seeing a resurgence in cyclist numbers through the area while 2017 has seen trams rolling through the area again.
The area around College Green has origins around the 10 century with Viking settlements in the area and a Viking fort sited on the grounds where Dublin Castle now stands. In 1038 when Christchurch Cathedral was founded College Green was on the main thoroughfare of Dublin town, a ridge rose from the river and ran from west to east from modern Kilmainham to College Green, along this ridge ran the main thoroughfare of the Dublin of the time (Killeen,2009,2011)
In the 1160s College Green became the focal point of the city mainly due to the foundation of the Augustinian Priory of All Hallows now Trinity College there. A priory stood there in what was then known as Hoggen Green until it was dissolved under Henry VIII.
Trinity College
In 1592 during Queen Elizabeth’s reign a university was established on the site with its front square which overlooks College Green being completed in 1780s making the area a focal point for academia in the city and enforcing College Green as an important transport route to and from the University. (Killeen,2009,2011).
The opening of the Parliament Buildings in the north of College Green in the 1730s with expansions in the 1780s established College Green further as a go to destination for the residents of Dublin with it later ??? becoming one of the largest Bank of Irelands in the state. College Green would serve as an important link between the Parliament Buildings and Dublin Castle.
Bank of Ireland College Green, Formally the Parliament Buildings
2.2-The Wide Streets Commission
An important cog in the development of College Green as a transportation route was the development of the Wide Streets Commission in 1957, this initiative was responsible for widening the streets today known as Westmoreland Street , Dame Street and O Connell Street and building a bridge across the river which we now know as O Connell Bridge. This now gave Dublin a new north south axis with College Green at the heart of it which is still in place today. (Killeen,2009,2011) Wide streets commissionC
Wide Street Commission map showing proposals for Westmoreland St and Dolier Street. http://digital.libraries.dublincity.ie/
It is clear from the maps above that College Green would not have become the major through route that it is now had the Wide Street Commission not taken the steps it did to widen/create the approach roads as they did.
2.3- Modes of Transport Using College Green over the years
2.3.1 Bicycles
College Green streets have seen the many changes that have developed over time with modes of transport- horse and traps, horse drawn trams, electric trams , motor cars, buses, lorries, and bicycles have all passed through College Green and still pass through albeit in a different form.
Bicycles were a major mode of transport in Dublin in the 1880s with an Irish man by the name of John Boyd Dunlop inventing the pneumatic tyre around this time to counteract the discomfort of the Dublin cobbles. http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/exhibition/dublin/transport.html
Bicycles are still an important mode of transport on this and every Dublin Street. Modal shift is taking hold and the numbers of bicycles traveling through College Green in May 2015 was ???? showing an increase of ???. Overall bicycle numbers have grown by ?? in Dublin.
John Boyd Dunlop on a bicycle in Dublin and the popular High Nelly Bicycle of the early to mid 20th Century. www.wikepedia.com
2.3.2 Motor Car
The Motor car arrived in Ireland in 1898 in the form of a Benz Velo Comfortable owned by Dr John Fallon Sidney Colohan and by 1907 more and more cars were arriving with around 3,331 cars in the Dublin by 1915. http://www.malahidelions.com/2014-show.html
College Green was no doubt a route for those cars what with its proximity to Trinity College, Parliament House and Dublin Castle. http://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-1916/1916irl/economy/tp/
Replica of Irelands First Car-http://www.malahidelions.com/2014-show.html
2.3.3 Omnibuses-Trams
1848 saw the first Omnibuses arrive in College Green, these were horse drawn carriages with names like Swift, Shamrock and Favourite which were used as public transport. In 1871 the Dublin Tramways Company(DTC) started laying lines in Dublin in preparation for the introduction of horse drawn trams in the city, these trams would take the form of both single and double decker trams and the omnibuses would be subsumed into the DTC. The laying of the tracks reduced the strain on horses and increased the speed of the trams.
Early Omnibus designed by Bianconi http://www.theirishstory.com/2014/03/06/transport-in-19th-century-dublin/
Example of a horse drawn Omnibus. http://carriagehousebandb.ca/Omnibus.html
Example of a horse drawn Omnibus on rails. https://www.pinterest.ie/susangreenlee96/horse-drawn-wagon/
2.3.4 Tram Network
College Green was the focal point for the old tram system in Dublin with many starting and finishing at a terminus there. Some of the destinations that could be reached by boarding a tram in College Green included Rathmines, Rathfarnham, Sandymount, Harolds Cross, Terenure in the south of the city and Phibsboro, Drumcondra, Clontarf and Howth in the north, this at first glance would appear to be a much greater transport /tram system than there is in place now.
In the 1890s these lines were despite delays of three years due to objections from the council upgraded to electric trams, this eliminated the need for horses but required extensive work to introduce the cables and infrastructure required to run the trams. Dublin had 330 trams by 1911 running on 60 miles of track. The map below shows the extent of the tram network with the red lines representing a tram route.
Dublin City Centre Tram Network -1923
Picture from 1909 showing the mix of horse drawn carriages and electric trams in College Green
Example of Dublins Trams from the early 1900s http://www.nationaltransportmuseum.org/b006.html
2.3.4 Buses
Buses due to their ability to alter their route easily to cater for new housing estates eventually took over from trams, the Dublin United Tramways Company ran its first bus route in July 1925 to Kilester, this tram way company in 1945 became Córas Iompair Éireann (CIE) following an amalgamation with the Great Southern Railway. Again College Green was an integral part of many of the early bus routes which passed through there as it was both a through route for cross city buses and the location of a major bus stop hub for the city. In July 1949 buses had completely taken over from trams as the last tram route to Dalkey was discontinued. http://www.olddublintown.com/dublin-buses.html
Buses and trams seen traversing College Green together in the 1940s-www.pinterest.ie
Dublin Bus 1963 and Dublin Bus in College Green http://www.olddublintown.com/dublin-buses.html
College Green has since had many bus routes passing through it and due to rising levels of congestion in the area it was in 2007 designated a Public Transport Only route Monday to Friday 0700-1900. This gave the bus and taxis of Dublin priority through the area while banning private cars.
Dublin Bus Bus stop Locations in College Green- www.dublinbus.ie
2.3.5-LUAS
LUAS cross city was completed in Dec 2017, once again bringing electric trams in the vicinity of College Green some 70 years after the last tram stopped running in the city.
Electric Trams return to College Green
2.3.6-Current Proposals for College Green
This brings us to 2018 when proposals are in place to close the College Green thoroughfare to all east/west mechanical traffic and open it up to pedestrians again.
College Green pre 1873 – olddublintown.com
College Green Proposed 2018
Chapter 3
Introduction
As part of this dissertation I will consider the redesign of the cycling aspect of the College Green Plaza, when designing anything it is important to know why we are designing it and what guidelines we should follow to ensure a safe effective design, in this chapter I will review the literature which establishes the need for a cycle route in College Green and I will review the guidelines to be followed when designing such a cycle route.
3.1-Why have Cycle routes through College Green?
3.1.1-Greater Dublin Area Cycle Network Plan
The National Transport Authority in conjunction with the Dublin and surrounding local authorities commissioned Aecom-ROD consulting engineers to develop a Cycle Network Plan for the greater Dublin area, this plan highlighted routes around the city into various categories as follows.
• Primary Network: Main arteries that cross the City-High Cycle numbers.
• Secondary Network: Links between the main arteries and local zones.
• Feeder Routes: Routes within local zones. Connection Routes
As a result of this work the Greater Dublin Area Cycle Network Plan was developed and published in 2013.
In this document College Green was highlighted from an analysis of cycling demand as Route 7 of 13 primary radial cycle routes that link the city centre to key suburban areas.
See Appendix for Map of Greater Dublin Cycle Network Plan
3.1.2-Dublin City Development Plan
The Dublin City Development Plan mentions College Green as being part of the Grand Civic Spine which stretches from Parnell Square to Christchurch, via O’Connell Street, College Green and Dame Street. The development plan states that it is its policy “To develop a sustainable network of safe, clean, attractive pedestrian routes, lanes and cycleways in order to make the city more coherent and navigable” along this spine.
Extract from Dublin City Development Plan 2016-2022-Making a Legible City-Key Spaces and Connections.
3.1.3-Dublin City Centre Transport Study
Dublin City Centre Transport Study was published by Dublin City Council and the National Transport Authority in 2015 and its aim is to address the transport issues in the city centre and to facilitate the implementation of the Development Plan while ensuring future growth of the city. This study highlights the need for a dedicated cycle lanes through College Green plaza linking with facilities on Westmoreland Street and Dame Street. See Objective No 1 below.
Extract From Dublin City Centre Transport Study
3.2-Design Standards
When designing any new piece of infrastructure it is paramount that best design practice is followed and any standards relating to that piece of infrastructure is followed. The standards/guidelines to be followed when designing a cycle route in Ireland are outlined below.
3.2.1-Traffic Signs Manual 2010
The Traffic Signs manual published by the Department of Transport is the standard detail for all road signs and road markings in the state. This document gives details of regulatory signs, warning signs and information signs together with standards for each type of road marking and where to use these. If it is not in the Traffic Signs Manual then it should not be directing people on a public road. It contains 10 chapters, each relating to various traffic related signs. An extract from the Department of Transport website below shows what each chapter contains.
The addition of regulatory sign RUS 009 shown below in the design of cycle tracks make the cycle track legally enforceable by the Gardai. Therefore any car parking in the cycle track can be clamped/removed.
3.2.2-National Cycle Manual
The National Cycle Manual (NCM) published by the National Transport Authority is the guidance document used in Ireland when designing for the bicycle. The manual deals with all aspects of designing for cyclists from the governing legislation to the design and maintenance of cycle tracks. It deals with with-flow cycle tracks and contraflow cycle tracks and it details various scenarios the designers are likely to be faced with in the course of their design. It goes through a stage by stage analysis of how cycling infrastructure should be implemented as shown in the extract below from the manual.
The National Cycle Manual is essentially a guidance manual developed for the NTA by Consulting Engineers with input from various stake holders such as the local authorities and cyclist groups, in practice within a city like Dublin where space is scarce it is difficult to achieve some of the requirements of the manual. The manual gives an indication of best practice where possible and gives scenarios of what the designer should do in certain situations. See below of the NCM methods for dealing with cyclists at bus stops and junctions.
Extract From National Cycle Manual for Bus Stop Design
Extract From National Cycle Manual for Junction Design
3.2.3-Design Manual For Urban Roads and Streets(DMURS)
College Green is an urban area therefore guidance will be taken for standards that deal with urban environments. While an urban environment has lower vehicle speeds, there are many other considerations such as the presence of pedestrians, cyclists and in our case trams.
In any redesigns and analysis I will take note of the “Design Manual for Urban Roads and streets” published by The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport in conjunction with the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government . This document outlines how best to design urban streets safety and efficiently for all road users. It encourages design that acknowledges and caters for the greater role sustainable modes of transport such as walking and cycling need to take in our towns and cities.
DMURS references the National Cycle Manual many times within its covers, and places the bicycle second only to pedestrians in its road user hierarchy. It sets out to encourage more sustainable modes of transport within our cities by encouraging designs that lend themselves to encouraging modal shift away from the private car to cycling and walking.
DMURS Road User Hierarchy extract. Think Pedestrians first.
3.2.4-Transport Infrastructure Ireland Publications
Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) is a state body with the responsibility for managing and improving the country's national road and light rail networks (Source TII Website). TII was established on 01/08/2015 through the amalgamation of the National Roads Authority (NRA) and Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) (Source TII Website). TII have published and make available for free a wide range of publications through a website called www.tiipublications.ie ,these documents enables designers of road and light rail projects all over the country to work to the same standards. This website categorises its publications as either Standards or Technical and within these documents designers gain guidance on safe and effective designs. The TII Standard which I will reference and use in any redesign will be DN-GEO-03060, this is the” Geometric Design of Junctions (priority junctions, direct accesses, roundabouts, grade separated and compact grade separated junctions) “ Since June 2017 this is the TIIs standard for the design of priority junctions and replaces any previous TII publications as well as the previous NRA Standard (NRA MCDRW)-Design Manual for Roads and Bridges.
3.2.5-Traffic Management Guidelines
This is a publication from the Department of Transport which aims to provide guidance to designers on issues including traffic planning, traffic calming and management, designs and the provision of suitably designed facilities for public transport users. Chapter 12 provides information on the provision of facilities for vulnerable road users such as cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians.
The traffic management guidelines require that the needs of cyclists and pedestrians be considered as a fundamental part of the design process rather than as an afterthought once vehicular traffic has been catered for. The guidelines state that “good, direct and convenient facilities should be provided where they have to cross traffic streams”
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Chapter 4
Current Layout of College Green