Councillors at Dublin City Council’s full monthly council meeting tonight have agreed to note the Dublin City Transport Plan and ask officials to meet with Disabled Persons Organisations. The plan looks to increase space and priority for pedestrians, cycling, and public transport and looks to reduce car use in the city centre, which is in line with targets set by councillors. A senior official said car access would be maintained, and the number of disabled parking spaces would be maintained or increased. Cllr Declan Meenagh (Labour), who is visually impaired, said that he and most others use public transport or taxis in the city centre. He said he got to the council meeting on a Luas tram and would go home on a bus. As a motion to defer the plan was to be voted on, instead, Cllr Meenagh suggested that the council agree that officials would meet with Disabled Persons Organisations within a month. Councillors and a senior official agreed to this. Disabled Persons Organisations (DPOs) are groups led by people with disabilities, as opposed to some disability groups that are service providers. Under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), DPOs should be given special consideration in policy and other changes. Cllr Damian O’Farrell (independent) had moved to defer the plan, citing concerns from the Voice of Vision Impairment, which is a DPO. Cllr O’Farrell aggressively interrupted the meeting a number of times. Lord Mayor, Cllr Daithi De Roiste, tried to stop him from interrupting; he said that he accepted that Cllr O’Farrell is a councillor but that there were 64 other councillors also wanting to speak. READ MORE: Dublin City Centre Transport Plan: What’s included? Cllr Michael Pidgeon (Green) said that there should be more respect shown and councillors should be aware that there’s an issue where officials cannot push back against councillors as hard as councillors push officials. Cllr Catherine Stocker (Social Democrats) said she wanted to support the plan but would be supporting Cllr O’Farrell’s motion because the Voice of Vision Impairment said they haven’t been consulted enough. Cllr Daithí Doolan (SF) said he did not want to delay the plan but asked questions on the request from the Voice of Vision Impairment, who want blue badge holders to be able to be able to cross bus gates. Cllr de Róiste said he also has concerns about engagement with DPOs and asked the council’s law agent for their view on consultation with DPOs. The law agent said the obligation under the law is to engage; it’s not prescribed. She understands that the officials and councillors have been engaging with DPOs, and it’s ongoing. Brendan O’Brien, head of traffic and transport at the council, said that disabled parking badges — known as blue badges — are only for parking. He said that there’s no legal mechanism to allow blue badge holders to bypass any other restrictions. This is an issue of national legislation. O’Brien outlined how the restrictions are in small areas, and the measures are still four months away from any implementation, which allows for more engagement. Cllr Dermot Lacey (Labour) said that he’s glad officials have caught up with his idea of having the street in front of Customs House traffic-free. O’Brien said it’s down to traffic reduction. The measures in this plan, such as the bus gates on the quays, will allow such traffic-free areas. O’Brien outlined how the plan was developed based on what councillors agreed in the Development Plan. This was a point echoed by Cllr Claire Byrne (Greens), who said that cllrs have already voted for traffic reduction in the Development Plan and the Climate Action Plan, and Cllr Darragh Moriarty (Labour) repeated this point and highlighted how many times O’Brien said that the plan was based on what councillors wanted. Regarding concerns about motorists diverting into residential areas, O’Brien said that the idea was that there would be a reduction in traffic, not that it would all be diverted. The public consultation had nearly 3,600 respondents. O’Brien said that’s compared to the Development Plan — which affects the whole of the Dublin City Council area — which gained just over 4,000 submissions, and the Dublin City Climate Action Plan, which only received 88 submissions. O’Brien said that officials are trying to work with Gunness and had met them today — the 80 truck movements from Gunness account for about 90% of HGV movements on the quays. Around 1/3 of the trucks are going to Belfast via Dorset Street. Officials will continue to meet with them and try to find a solution.