Certain Dublin city streets will see changes in traffic flow from this weekend to facilitate outdoor, on-street dining for the hospitality sector.
Traffic changes on Hume Street, Ely Place and Merrion Row will begin this Sunday.
The direction of traffic on Hume Street and Ely Place will be reversed, so traffic from St Stephens Green East will use these streets.
Parking on Hume Street is also set to change. The current perpendicular parking will be changed to angled parking, and the parallel parking spots will be relocated to outside the new contra flow cycle lane.
The footpaths on Merrion Row have been widened on both sides. One lane of vehicle traffic will remain, to facilitate cars coming from Kildare Street.
A contra flow cycle lane will also be in place on Hume Street and Ely Place, and cyclists will still be able to access Merrion Row from St Stephens Green East.
Eight car parking spaces will be removed on the east side of Ely place.
However, Dublin City Council said that 90 per cent of car parking spaces on Hume Street and Ely Place will be retained. There will be no changes to any disabled car parking spaces.
These traffic flow changes are happening following a recent successful trial.
This new system will stay in place for the summer, and a review will be carried out in the autumn to ascertain whether the changes are viable in the long-term.
The decision to proceed with the changes was made following a recent public consultation that received almost 2,400 submissions. Some 93 per cent of respondents were in favour of the changes.