The draft Sustainable Swords plan has been published and a public consultation has begun.
It includes a series of plans for changes to roads and public realm around Swords.
In particular, it proposes a large investment and redesign of Swords Main St that will increase the pedestrian area, cycle lanes, and reorientate traffic on the street toward public transport.
Under the new proposal, the southbound lane will be restricted to a bus lane and car parking will be substantially reduced to make room for walking and cycling.
Commening on the proposal, Cllr Ian Carey said:
“I really welcome the publication of the draft Sustainable Swords proposals and I strongly encourage people to consider it carefully and make a submission.
“The plans for Swords Main St are very interesting. At the minute Main St is not working living up to this potential. It is one of the most hostile places you could be for walking and cycling. Tree roots have created trip hazards for pedestrians and those with limited mobility while the offset parking make cycling extremely difficult. I’m glad to see that this will be addressed in the new plan.
“There are also a series of proposals for the roads into the town which I will need to study in detail but the change in priority towards walking, cycling and public transport is most welcome.”
“At the minute 72% of people who live and work in Swords drive to work. That is a level of car dependency which is similar to Los Angeles. For a town that is 5km in diameter it is absolutely absurd. We need to make walking and cycling in Swords safer and easier for everyone. This will help reduce congestion, reduce air pollution, increase footfall for retail, make our streets safer, make our town more accessible, increase health and well-being as well as reduce carbon emissions.
“Another important elements of the proposal are around developing the heritage sites in the town, sustainability initiatives, cultural offerings and the delivery of a Swords Community Forest.”
