“We have waited too long; we desperately need the department to fund this,” says Shay L’Estrange, coordinator with Ballyfermot Traveller Action Project.
Citing a lack of funds, Dublin City Council has tried for some 15 years to get a pitch built through a public-private partnership, so far without success.
One question it is examining is what kind of parking should be allowed for the e-scooters: leave them wherever, or leave them at specific stations or docks.
Local residents and councillors say they want more amenities and have not been consulted, which the council explains by saying it is still at an early stage.
Magda Mostafa’s ideas for Dublin City University, drawn up with the help of students, include a quiet area near the canteen, and swings where people can find a moment of calm.
Alex Konieczka says she would love to build and plant things with others all around the neighbourhood, but she knows she’ll need the council to approve initiatives and locals with enthusiasm to work on them.
A shortage of off-street parking in some areas outside of the canals leaves residents with little choice but to nudge up onto the pavement, they say. That’s still allowed, the council suggests, but they have to leave a bit more room than before.
The plan is for them to help people “deal with abuse in relationships, or coercive control or helping them understand what it is they’re experiencing”.
