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Report on Litter Management in Artane/Whitehall

Here is the report issued to the North Central Area Committee for March 2010:

A key objective of the Area office is to ensure a consistently high standard of cleanliness throughout the area and to promote and encourage prevention, reuse and recycling of waste and the management of litter.  

To facilitate the achievement of litter preservation and control, the Area office works closely with the Waste Management Division, and the Area has its own locally managed designated resources.

30Kph in Dublin's City Centre

At the monthly meeting of Dublin City Council, on 1st March 2010 the Labour Group proposed that parts of the 30kph zone on the quays, on Winetavern Street and on Kildare Street should undergo a fresh round of public consultation.

A majority of councillors supported the proposal - 22 councillors voted in favour and 20 voted against. However, a total of 26 votes was needed in order to start the public consultation.A motion by Cllr by Bill Tormey to have the 30kph zone removed was defeated by 28 votes to 12.  So the 30kph zone will stay as it is for six months. The Council will then review the speed limit.

Andrew at the Count, photo by Matt Kavanagh, Irish Times

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Successful Campaign for Artane/Whitehall council seat

I'm thrilled to be elected again for the Artane/Whitehall Ward. I received 2535 votes and took the second seat. Thank you to everyone that supported me. I'm honoured that so many people put their trust in me and were prepared to vote for me.

I also want to thank my fantastic campaign team. Over 50 friends, supporters and family members came out and canvassed, leafleted and put up posters for me. It means a lot to me that you believed in me and were prepared to come out and work on my behalf.

Four other councillors were elected in the ward:

• Paddy Bourke (Labour)
• Larry O'Toole (Sinn Féin)
• Declan Flanagan (Fine Gael)
• Julia Carmichael (Fianna Fáil).

Santry Cross Apartments

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Successful Apartment Living in Dublin and across Ireland

19th February 2009

Apartment living has become commonplace in the last 10 years in Dublin and many issues have arisen for those living in apartments that require urgent attention. The most frequent complaints that I receive from people living in apartments relate to Management Companies and Management Agencies. Residents are often frustrated with the high cost of management fees, together with poor service quality and a complete lack of control for the residents.

The Law Reform Commission highlighted the following problems within some (but not all) apartment complexes:

• A general and widespread lack of transparency (and an understanding deficit) about the appropriate roles of those involved in apartment developments, including developers, unit owners (as members of owners’ management companies) and property managing agents;
• Developers holding onto effective control of apartment owners’ management companies even after virtually all apartments have been sold;
• Property managing agents having too much administrative control over owners’ management companies, causing confusion over their different functions;
• Annual general meetings of owners’ management companies being organised at short notice and at inconvenient times and locations;
• Increasing annual service charges not being properly explained and, therefore, not being paid by unit owners, leading to running-down of some apartment complexes;
• No long-term building investment fund (sinking fund) for apartment complexes;
• Apartment developments not being taken in charge by local authorities;
• Lack of clear arrangements for rescuing apartment complexes in trouble.

College Green, Dublin

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Bus Gate for College Green, Dublin

2nd March 2009

Dublin City Council is proposing a "Bus Gate" for College Green, essentially banning private cars from the area, allowing only buses, taxis and bikes around the entrance to Trinity College. City Centre Traders have lobbied hard against this proposal arguing the proposal will have an adverse impact on their income.

It is essential during this economic crisis that the City Council does nothing to undermine business in the City Centre and the Transport Committee of which I'm a member has quite rightly requested an economic impact analysis of the proposal. However, I believe this proposal will increase trade to this area of town. We have learned over many years that where bus lanes have been introduced, footfall increases - even when cars are restricted. This makes sense. One bus can carry over a hundred passengers, whereas a car can only carry five. A typical bus lane will carry five thousand people per hour, while a typical car lane will transport one thousand per hour. 

Access to this location is already severely restricted for private cars. Cars are not allowed access from Pearse Street to College Green and restrictions on O'Connell Street, mean very few cars can can get to College Green from D'Olier Street. Heading in the opposite direction, the right turn ban from George's Street on to Dame Street mean that very few cars can get on to Westmoreland Street. So this new proposal will not have as dramatic an effect as many believe. But it will improve journey times. Anyone travelling on a bus on O'Connell Street heading south towards College Green will know the delays on this street. Improving the traffic flow at College Green will lead to improvements on O'Connell Street. This will encourage more people to use the bus which in turn will lead to a bigger footfall than would otherwise occur. 

Planning for our Future Recovery

17 February 2009

The current economic crisis is having a devastating impact on families and communities. Every day brings more news of financial scandals, dodgy deals or major job losses. This situation will continue until we develop a credible Recovery Plan to give confidence back to communities, to families, to investors and employers.

This plan must have key principles at its core:

• Fairness - those on the lowest incomes should not be expected to pay for the mistakes of our financial elites
• Accountability - those that cheated and abused our financial system should pay a price (up to and including prison). They should not be waved off with a golden handshake and a bulging pension package
• Maximise Employment - we must do everything in our power to keep people off the dole and restore our economic competitiveness. Recent experience teaches us the disastrous social consequences of mass unemployment.
• Imagination - we must use our ingenuity and creativity to dig ourselves out of this mess. In lieu of layoffs one company has offered three years unpaid leave to any of their workers that wanted to take a sabbatical. Why can't we apply this across the board in the public service?
• Sustainability - the issue of climate change hasn't gone away. However, this economic crisis provides us with an opportunity to tackle our reliance on imported oil and gas. By investing now in wind and wave energy, and by developing a programme of insulation for our older homes, we can create jobs and help sustain our long term development
• Community - investment in communities is most important in times of crisis. We must continue the regeneration of Ballymun and get the regeneration plans off the ground across Dublin in places such as O'Devaney Gardens and St. Michael's House.