New film documents Dubliners’ resistance to subordination of social life to profit
“The market is a monster,” says filmmaker James Redmond. “It turns living spaces into dead space.”
As years have passed and the council has not rolled out its proposed 350 bike bunkers, people have been finding their own solutions – but planning is a barrier.
Plans to bring in cameras to catch and fine motorists who block bus lanes, to keep the buses flowing smoothly, also seem to be on the slow track.
It’s a system that’s already in place in Limerick: installing sensors in the spots and connecting them to an app.
The delivery services offices that the slips send people too can be far away and hard to get to. But, increasingly, there are better options.
To help people deliver around the city by bike, the programme gave businesses a chance to try the pricey vehicles to find out if making the switch works for them.
The development agency is exploring that idea with TU Dublin, said its CEO Ger Casey at a recent council meeting.
A biodiversity superhighway, a village centre, feeder buses to run around housing estates and a new athletics museum are among the ideas pitched.
The “PressIt” system, meant to keep buses on schedule, has controllers reminding drivers if they are running ahead or behind as they drive.
At two recent meetings of the council’s South East Area Committee, councillors dug into the issue.
“It would be such a retrograde step if the bunkers are culled,” says Fine Gael Councillor Ray McAdam.
Gardaí didn’t respond to queries on where they were. Dublin City Council said it would be happy to help roll-out a system of red-light cameras.
The company says it’s working hard to recruit new drivers. But two drivers and a union rep say the problem isn’t hiring them, it’s keeping them.