Capel Street is now Dublin's longest pedestrianised street

Capel Street is car free!

Capel Street has now joined Dublin streets like Grafton and Henry street when it was opened as a pedestrianised street on Friday morning. This morning, I set off from Ranelagh on my bike to check it out and visit some of the shops on this street. It was a timely cycle as this week is Bike Week in Ireland so it felt good to cycle a little bit further then my usual trek to Rathmines or Baggot Street on a Saturday.

I planned to two things on Capel Street. The first thing was to visit Lenhans hardware store to buy some multi-surface cleaner while the second thing was that I wanted to stop off for a cup of coffee in Camerino Bakery, which interestingly enough is taking part in a Dublin City Council subsidised cargo bike trial for businesses, and makes deliveries of cakes by electric cargo bike. Check out Bleeper Bikes for more info about this trial pilot scheme.

Ciaran however planned to visit Evans Art Supplies which is just off Capel Street.

So off we cycled with our plans to stop off at a few places on the newly pedestrianised street.

A Taste of Spain on Capel Street

So when we got on to the street we saw a shop that we didn't realise was on this street. It was "A Taste of Spain" so of course when we saw this we had to go in and have a little browse. It's a well stocked shop full of Spanish food products and also Spanish wine! When I went to pay for my purchase (Duck Pate) I spoke a little Spanish to the guy working on the til. He spoke Spanish but when he totted up at the til he said the total in both Spanish and English which I appreciated. He then picked up the card machine and in English said - Credit Card? And then I said, No......and after searching for the word said, "Effectivo" and then handed over my cash!

A great shop and it felt good to get a little Spanish speaking practise done on a Saturday morning.

 

Lenehans Hardware

Then it was on to Lenehans but unfortunately they didn't have what I was looking for (Tech 7 Multi-Cleaner) so I will buy it in my local hardware shop in Ranelagh

Evans Art Supplies

We stopped in to Evans and Ciaran got the few things that he needed. After that we decided we would go for a coffee. Evans is slightly off the beaten track and if you don't know it is in the area, you are unlikely to find it. They seem to do well with the people who know it is there as they don't seem to advertise. But all businesses should be seeking out new audiences so I think it would be prudent for them to promote that they are steps away from the pedestrianised Capel Street.

There are some other interesting shops and buildings on Capel Street including The Black Sheep pub, Dublin City Comics along with Musashi and other sushi restaurants. Pretty much something for everything with other stores like McQuillans tools and Charity Shops (Thrift Stores) too. 

Here's a few pics - I especially like the window detail above the nail salon.

Camerino Bakery

And then it was time for a coffee and a pastry. And no better a place to enjoy this than at Camerino Bakery where it was a brownie for me and a scone for Ciaran. So good - and for these pastries alone, I would recommend a visit to Capel Street!

Camerino Bakery is also on Merrion Square where I believe it has a sit in cafe, however, on Capel Street there is only a small outdoor seating area. It was a fine day so we were happy to sit outside and enjoy our coffee while people watching all that was going on in Capel Street.

Quiet Dublin - a liveable city

All in all it was a great morning spent on Dublin's newest pedestrianised street. I highly recommend a visit to this car free spot and I look foward to going back soon. It's chilled out and quiet, oh so quiet, with lots of interesting shops and also an interesting mix of places to get a bite to eat. There are probably improvements to be made (I'm not a fan of the white picket fences outside some eateries) but it's great to know the move to being car free has started and I look forward to seeing how it works out and progresses. It will be interesting to hear how the businesses find it. There have been reports from other countries that indicate that pedestrians and cyclists spend more than car drivers (which makes sense because car drivers are generally passing through rather than stopping and spending money) so hopefully they will see increased business and revenue.

Next up we need to get Parliment Street pedestrianised to really begin to make Dublin a truly liveable city!

Go Capel Steet!

Capel Street will be Car-Free!

After numerous consultations and receiving thousands of submission (I sent one in!), Dublin City Council with the support of the Councillors will make Capel Street Car Free.

Having been trialled successfully last Summer, though with limited car free hours, it is great news to see this street being permanently made car free. It will be the longest street in Dublin to become car free and will follow in the footsteps of Grafton Street and Henry Street both of which are Dublin's main shopping streets and have been pedestrian only for decades. It seems bizarre to think that buses used to drive down the upmarket paved Grafton Street and I am sure that it will become like that with Capel Street someday in the future with no one calling to have it revert to the bottle neck choked with traffic street that it currently is.

Capel Street has an interesting mix of pubs, eateries and shops. I haven't been on the street in ages but intend to go back as soon as it is made car free. The last time I was there was in about June 2020 (I think when Ireland opened after the first lockdown) where I visited the hardware store there. It's worth mentioning that I cycled to visit this shop and at the time I had my electric bike so I strapped the piece of plastic tubing that I bought in to my panniers (half in half out) and cycled back across the Liffey to Ranelagh from the Northside. 

I sure am looking forward to this big change in Dublin and share a video below which shows the potential for the streets of Dublin but also shows how some of the fears of car drivers is generally unfounded, world over.

Good job Dublin City!

Edit - here's my trip report from my visit to Capel Street on 21st of May, the day after it was made car free