Capel Street/Parliament Street traffic-free trial extended by DCC following Twitter backlash

This just goes to show, Twitter can be powerful.

Yesterday evening, Dublin City Council announced on the app that the pedestrianisation of Capel Street and Parliament Street was due to finish up this weekend, after 11 successful weeks of the additional outdoor space being enjoyed by over 300,000 people. https://twitter.com/DubCityCouncil/status/1429839251542261765?s=20 The post was met with a mix of backlash and general confusion as to why DCC would end a seemingly very successful initiative. https://twitter.com/Health_HIV2030/status/1429855655016517632?s=20 https://twitter.com/TVsCarlKinsella/status/1429922685056954371?s=20 https://twitter.com/PadraigRice/status/1429893414594785280?s=20 Following the online response to the initiative ending, Dublin City Council have released a second statement today, announcing that the traffic-free trial will continue until September 26th. Naturally, the golden boy of Irish journalism Richard Chambers had the scoop. https://twitter.com/newschambers/status/1430189596495724550?s=20 The post included a statement from the Mayor which read:

This trial has been hugely successful so far... It makes perfect sense for it to continue until the end of September. I am delighted that, with the support of cross-party colleagues, we have been able to secure this extension. I would encourage anyone who hasn't already done so to come in and see for yourself what a fabulous outdoor initiative this is. 

The trial has been a great opportunity for businesses along Capel Street and Parliament Street to extend their outdoor areas, and we're delighted to hear it's being extended! Header image via Shutterstock READ NEXT: Stephen Donnelly hopeful that "all restrictions" can be lifted by Christmas