Letter to Minister O'Donovan on opening the Phoenix Park gates

Dear Minister O'Donovan, I hope you are keeping well and settling into your new role well. I was deeply disappointed by your recent decision to reopen the gates of the Phoenix Park to through traffic and am asking you to immediately reverse it.

During the past few extraordinarily difficult months, the park has provided Dubliners with a safe haven and place to meet, walk, cycle and, crucially for children who have been out of school for so long, to safely play. To take this away from families and individuals in an overnight decision felt cruel and short-sighted. To do so in the context of the climate and biodiversity crises as well as the public health crisis we face, is outright destructive.

I am requesting that you begin immediately and urgently a review of the future of the park, bringing forward options within three months for reducing through traffic and traffic volumes in the park and then providing an opportunity for people to have their say in relation to these.

Finally, as a matter of urgency I am asking you to ensure that accessibility of the park is protected by increasing enforcement regarding illegal parking. Over the weekend we saw that the footpaths and grassy areas of the park were unusable due to illegal parking of cars - this must be prevented so as to allow people of all abilities, and most especially those with disabilities, to continue to use it.

Best Regards,

Janet Horner

Green Party Councillor

Representative for the North Inner City

www.janethorner.ie

@JanetPHorner