The “Save O’Connell Street Campaign” kicks off again this Saturday at 1 pm.

Valentine’s Day Style “Take Back O’Connell Street” Event
Saturday February 13th
1 pm
O’Connell Street

An artist’s rendering of O’Connell Street illustrates the simple potential of Sligo’s main street as a pedestrianised zone. This drawing by Sligo-based Leonie Cornelius epitomises the local spirit to create a proper centre for Sligo. Since summer last year, the public repeatedly indicated to the local Borough Council that O’Connell Street should not be de-pedestrianised. Now that traffic has been reintroduced in the most retrograde fashion – against the majority of the public’s will – a campaign continues to take the street back.

Everyone is welcome this upcoming Saturday event to take back O’Connell Street, Valentine’s Day Style. Organisers expect a cross-section of the local community, from business people to the arts community to members of the disabled community and Sligo families, educators and youth. The theme is “love Sligo, love the street,” and signs (see attached images) are already prepared for this event.

It is clear that the Sligo Borough Councillors’ November 2009 decision to re-introduce traffic on the pedestrianised street has not only been unpopular, it has outraged the local community. The Sligo County Council’s recent decision to deny renewing the Borough Council’s responsibility for Sligo roads is a clear message that the Borough Council are incapable of representing the Sligo public’s best interests on this matter. Further, the legitimacy of introducing traffic onto this street continues to be investigated – especially the means to which Sligo Borough Councillors passed this decision in opposition to all democratic process and consultation. The anti-democratic decision has eroded the public’s faith in their local representatives and has spurred the campaign to save this street. The Save O’Connell Street Campaign will continue until the re-instatement of the pedestrian zone is complete. An opening on weekends (as suggested by one Borough Councillor) does not suffice, campaigners clearly state.

Re-introducing traffic has and will continue to be bad for Sligo – whether by destroying the town’s vital centre, being a domino effect for job loss as businesses see less activity on O’Connell Street, or by making Sligo a less attractive destination for tourists. Further, since re-opening O’Connell Street to traffic in December 2009, the traffic in town has dramatically worsened as has the safety for pedestrians, families, cyclists and the disabled. The current design of O’Connell Street with dozens of steel bollards at the street’s edge has been identified as a dangerous “obstacle course” for disabled individuals, cyclists and ordinary pedestrians.

Campaigners welcome everyone to attend the “Save O’Connell Street” event this Saturday, 1 pm, on O’Connell Street.

Sligo Democracy

Dear Mayor McGarry

I write this again as I don’t recall getting a response to my previous mail of 30/09/2009, and after hearing you on George Hook today attempting to defend your council’s decision to reopen O’Connell Street, I have some important points to make:

Re: your interview on The Right Hook today:

Do you think your “silent majority” might stand up? I was in the Glasshouse last night and I didn’t see or hear one of them. Not one! Its obviously an invisible majority too.
Or perhaps its a figment of your imagination. In fact, the entire room of over 100 people was in favour of keeping O’Connell Street pedestrian.

Your dismissal of the petition with 2850 signatures was interesting, considering that you went public in the Irish Times in September to say the council’s decision had been made – all BEFORE THE END OF THE PUBLIC CONSULTATION PROCESS which is obligatory in the 2000 planning act AFAIK. So this reopening of O’Connell Street could be illegal then, then couldn’t it? In fact our MEP Marian Harkin has stated as much and has petitioned the minister of the environment to look into it.

I would like to inform you that the facebook page “Walking Down O’Connell Street” www.facebook.com/oconnellstreet now has…. 2,192 fans – More votes than you ever got. & Its growing by a couple of hundred a day.

All this talk about O’Connell Street being dangerous after dark is complete spin. Surely its your job to make sure the street is properly lit! And it is far from crumbling! What you said is a total fabrication. Yes it is quiet, since it is mostly daytime shops rather than pubs now. But its not dangerous or crumbling. And we have three businesses that have tables on the street (for which they have paid substantial rates incidentally), Bistro Bianconi, Hargadons, Café Fleur and shortly McGarrigles will reopen with food and drink again too. A pedestrian environment is essential for these businesses, and the street, to survive and encourage other similar business to open on that street, enhancing our city’s night-time atmosphere further.
Also, re: your point that you and the other councillors were elected earlier this year – as if that gives you the mandate to ignore our present “rebellion”: We voted you in before we realised that you were going to completely ignore us with regards to O’Connell Street.
I am an east ward resident please so don’t believe those who will tell you that all east ward residents want O’Connell Street open because they are suffering more than anyone else in the current traffic system. I would rather my journey take a little longer than have no pedestrian centre in town. You and the other councillors are just deflecting from the fact you copped out of making the right decision on an eastern bridge route.
The re-opening of O’Connell Street will only move the current rush hour tailbacks a few metres one way or the other. If anything, it will make the problem worse, creating a new junction where 2 busy streets will meet, O’Connell Street and Wine Street.
If the reopening goes ahead it will also make the street a very dangerous place for pedestrians during the busy Christmas period.
I love Doorly Park, the area where the proposed eastern bridge was mooted. I walk and cycle there with my children there daily. But I still believe that an eastern bridge is the only long term solution to east Sligo’s traffic problems.
So Sligo councillors, I demand you stop deflecting from the real issue and FIND A ROUTE for the bridge. It is your responsibility to find a solution.

Yours sincerely,

Eddie Lee

Over one hundred protesters gathered outside Sligo’s City Hall to lobby the Borough Councillors ahead of their meeting to re-open O’Connell Street. The campaigners spirits remained high for the duration of the meeting with music provided by the Samba Band. Seamus Kealy, spokesperson for the citizen led group, delivered the bad news to the crowd. After three years of pedestrianisation, a council vote of eleven to one outweighed the 2,600 names on the petition to keep Sligo’s main street free from cars. Jude Devin’s of Fianna Fail was the only councillor to defend the pedestrianised street. Let us know your opinion on the subject in the comments section below….