TU Dublin’s Dundrum Main Street study finds a complex history but with a community welcoming of the pedestrian friendly and traffic calmed environment.
In the latest phase of the multi-stage TU Dublin study into the impacts of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council’s (DLR) ‘Covid-19 Mobility and Public Realm’ works across a number of towns in the County, TU Dublin finds a Main Street with a complex history that has experienced changing fortunes over the years. As planning and development trends and customer habits have evolved over time, the study observes a business and community in Dundrum that sometimes feels overlooked as their town partially lies in regeneration stasis. Despite this, DLR’s investment in the Main Street during Covid-19 has been largely welcomed, particularly from the local community and representative groups. More mixed views are found from the business community, with some finding the trade-off between maintaining full vehicular access and improved public spaces more difficult to reconcile.
Using TU Dublin’s ‘People-Place-Movement’ approach, the research generally finds a footfall supportive environment through a 26% increase in public space available for community and additional outdoor trading space on Main Street; the introduction of three new pedestrian crossings; safer more traffic calmed streets; and a 19% improvement in the overall ‘health’ of Dundrum Main Street (using the TfL Healthy Streets Check Methodology). Whilst most interviewed are largely supportive of the retention of these public realm gains, the temporary black rubber kerbs protecting the contra-flow cycle lane are near universally recognised as not the right solution for the Main Street due to their lack of visibility for some pedestrians. 
The study outlines both short- and medium-term recommendations to further enhance the vibrancy, safety, heritage and inclusivity of Dundrum Main Street. These recommendations include:
- the development of a collaboratively made permanent public realm and regeneration plan for Dundrum,
- facilitating a local community and business representative forum to help guide and champion the regeneration of Dundrum Main Street and village/town centre,
- stitching the two sides of the Main Street together and further improving the pedestrian and footfall environment, especially along Sandyford Road,
- additional traffic calming on village/town centre streets and the by-pass,
- embracing and respecting heritage and conservation in public realm and active travel infrastructure design, and
- improving wayfinding and accessibility to local tram and bus stops.
For further reading, see link to the DLR Covid-19 Mobility Review - Dundrum Village
For further information on previous phases of the study see: June 2021 Phase 1 Study (Blackrock and the Coastal Mobility Route); July 2022 Phase 1b (Coastal Mobility Route – Mobility Update); February 2023 Phase 2a (Coastal Mobility Route – Business and Economic Development); and Coastal Mobility Route Summary Video 2021-23.
