10. Walking, Accessibility and Public Realm
Unnecessary, obsolete signage should be removed when possible, especially in the city centre, in the interests of visual amenity and the heritage of the built environment. Maybe if single poles were used for multiple uses, ie. signage, traffic cameras, lighting all on the same pole it would reduce the visual impact a little. The same goes for other street furniture that clutter the streets such as bollards, the new telephone booths and electric utility boxes. Actually it would be nice if the new telephone booths at least echoed the design of our traditional "telefón" boxes, which in some places have been converted to defibrillators, and also if the old black bins with "bruscar" in gold made a comeback.
There should be consistency in urban design. For example, why are new traditional-style lampposts being installed on Lower Mount Street, which is full of 1980s office blocks, while new modern-style ones have been installed in front of the Victorian houses on Upper Leeson Street? Surely it should at least be the other way around.
Penalties for illegal parking, especially on pavements and in cycle lanes, should be enforced, and there should be some easy way to report illegal parking. It also helps when cycle lanes are physically protected, completely preventing this. s
Speaking of protected cycle lanes, how the hell do you turn right onto Stephen's Green at the top of Leeson Street on a bike? Sometimes it just seems suicidal, I always just give up and use the pedestrian crossings