We feel that the full pedestrianisation of South William Street will have an adverse effect on other streets in the Area.
1) There are a lack of Loading bays in the area that we feel are leading to a build up of delivery traffic on Wicklow Street after the 11AM shut off for both South William Street and Grafton Street.
2) South William Street also acted as a valve for traffic building up along Wicklow Street moving onto Clarendon Street and at peak shopping times traffic can back up to Georges Street causing pollution and long delays.
3) Businesses in the city centre benefit from customers travelling into the city by car and the experience they have is part of the attraction/deterrent. Some of our customers are elderly/disabled and cannot cycle, walk or take public transport to our business. The city centre is competing with large shopping centres based around the M50 for consumers, part of the attraction to the consumer is the ease with which they can park.
4) Is South William Street the best street to Pedestrianise? It has a high proportion of restaurants and pubs that trade at specific times lunch/dinner/nightlife. A street with a high percentage of retail outlets would potentially benefit more with the hours being 11AM-6AM.
We feel that there is a need for a detailed environmental impact analysis conducted prior to any decision on the full pedestrianisation of South William Street; this should take into account, littering, loitering, impact on business on adjoining streets, traffic impact and consumer experience.