Dublin businesses have expressed disappointment at the decision to roll out the city's new transport plan on schedule.
Dublin City Council (DCC) made the announcement on Thursday despite opposition from a number of firms concerned over a drop in trade.
From August 25th private cars will be no longer be allowed to travel along the Quays at Bachelors Walk, Burgh Quay and Aston Quay during the day.
All other routes in the city remain the same and north-south, south-north access to all Liffey bridges will be unchanged.
![Changes coming into effect under the Dublin City Transport Plan](https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2024/07/26064153/Aston-edit.jpg)
The hours of restrictions under the transport plan will be 7am to 7pm Monday to Sunday. Outside these hours all vehicles can travel as before.
There will also be no changes to disabled bays, loading bays or taxi ranks.
Access for residents will be maintained although there may be a different route to or from the area.
Dublin City Council Chief Executive Richard Shakespeare made the decision following a review of a number of documents submitted to the council by various parties.
'A lot of unanswered questions'
Retail Excellence Ireland CEO Jean McCabe says the decision to implement the transport plan has businesses feeling ignored.
"It's a shame that retailers concerns weren't considered, especially when you see that retail is the backbone of the economic landscape in Dublin city," she said.
"There are a lot of unanswered questions.
"While we acknowledge DCC made amendments to the original plan, based on meeting the disability groups, [but] it's a shame that we're having this conversation today".
Ms McCabe says the lack of consultation was disappointing.
"The retail landscape in the city is just too fragile and that has been the basis of our argument from the beginning of why a pause was requested," she said.
"It was to ensure the smooth implementation of the plan and that all concerns from stakeholders were considered.
"The time of year certainly isn't ideal; we're moving into the busiest period for retailers".
Monitoring
A working group, chaired by the Lord Mayor of Dublin James Geoghegan, will now be put together to monitor the impact of changes included in the transport plan.
The group will include business organisations, the National Transport Authority (NTA), elected members and other interested parties such as members of the disability community.
Full details of the transport plan can be found here