Cork City Council will permanently pedestrianize 17 streets in the city center.
Many of the streets were temporarily pedestrianized last summer as part of the “Reimagining Cork City” program to facilitate social distancing and outdoor dining in response to the COVID pandemic.
Due to the success of the initiative, the Cork City Council has agreed to make the changes permanent for 17 of the streets from January 1, 2021, CorkCity.ie reports.
To enhance street surfaces, the City Council and contractors Lagan Asphalt Ltd. will begin resurfacing work on Caroline Street, Pembroke Street, Oliver Plunkett Street, Cook Street and Maylor Street on April 12. Resurfacing work is expected to begin on Paul Street, St. Peter and Paul’s Place, Little Ann Street and Little Cross Street on April 19.
In 2020, Cork City Council and the Cork City Local Enterprise Office introduced measures to support social distancing and to allow the city to be enjoyed safely. With an investment of under €2 million, the programs implemented included the temporary pedestrianization of 1.3 km of city streets, the waiver of outdoor seating license fees, enhanced greening of the City, the improvement of existing cycling infrastructure, and the creation of 4 km of new cycle lanes citywide.
Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr. Joe Kavanagh said: “The Cork City spirit is nothing if not resilient – just over a century ago it faced down the devastation of the Burning of Cork and now we find ourselves again ready to rise from the ashes of COVID-19, with new and innovative ways of living, working and doing business, reimagining our city’s infrastructure. ”
Director of Operations (Roads & Environment), David Joyce said: “The permanent pedestrianization of these streets is a measure that accelerates our long-term vision for creating sustainable urban growth. All of these works being undertaken by Cork City Council are aimed at making the city a safe, inclusive and pleasant place for residents, shoppers & visitors and to support local business. Encouraging people to live in, shop in, recreate in and visit Cork City is of critical importance to us all going forward and to the future vitality of the City as an attractive and desirable place to be.”
New extended pedestrianized hours will be applied to a number of streets in the coming weeks.
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