‘The time has come for a Metrolink in Dublin’, says advisor who transformed New York transport

Speaking at an event in Dublin today, Janette Sadik-Khan, who led New York’s transportation department from 2007 to 2013, said nothing compares to the ability to move “the volume of people by rail”.

Ms Sadik-Khan, who now works with Bloomberg Associates, shared her experiences in transforming New York into a more pedestrian-friendly city at an event organised by Dublin City Council and DublinTown.

Under her leadership, New York saw significant changes, including the introduction of Citi Bike, the conversion of 180 acres of road space into areas for cyclists and pedestrians, and the creation of 44 bus-only lanes.

She also closed Times Square to traffic, turning one of the busiest, least pedestrian-friendly spaces in the world into a safer area for pedestrians.

Despite facing a media backlash, as well as lawsuits over bike lanes and bike share racks, her policies were widely supported by the majority of New Yorkers.

Ms Sadik-Khan’s visit to Dublin comes at a time when the city is seeking to transform its transport infrastructure through the Dublin City Centre Transport Plan (DCCTP).

The plan aims to reduce traffic congestion in the city centre and encourage more people to walk, cycle, and use public transport.

While acknowledging that both New York and Dublin share “outdated standards for street design”, Ms Sadik-Khan said there is still significant potential for improvement in Dublin’s transport infrastructure, particularly when it comes to rail.

“I think a metro system is a great idea for Dublin, and the time has come, clearly,” she said.

“You’ve done a lot with the service network; there’s positives in putting down a new interconnected bike network and making it easier to get around the city safely, but nothing compares to the ability to move that volume by rail.

“So hopefully, it’s not going to take another 25 years to bring a Metrolink to Dublin,” she added.

She also expressed optimism about the possibility of creating a 15-minute city in Dublin, where essential services are easily accessible on foot.

“Dublin is such a walkable city – 89pc of Dubliners are within a 15-minute walk of a pub and a bus stop. That’s a 15-minute city with a 16-ounce payoff,” she said.

Reflecting on her time in New York, Ms Sadik-Khan highlighted the success of Citi Bike, which she described as an “instant hit”.

“It was our newest transportation system in about 60 years, and it was fun for people to get involved and see the city in a new way,” she said.

Before its rollout, many feared that bike theft would be a major issue, and New Yorkers were concerned about storing bikes in public spaces.

However, the introduction of bike stations on every corner quickly made the system more accessible.

Ms Sadik-Khan also used small-scale, temporary “tactical urbanism” projects, such as converting parking places for cars into parks, to show that change was possible.

“Instead of endlessly debating whether we were going to try something, we worked quickly to reclaim traffic lanes, turning them into safe spaces for kids,” she said.

Dublin is facing challenges with its own DublinBikes scheme, which has not seen any expansion since 2018.

Recently, Dublin City Council passed a motion to expand the scheme, although chief executive Richard Shakespeare warned “budget constraints” may delay this.

DublinBikes recently secured a new sponsor, RedClick, and Ms Sadik-Khan said such sponsorship would be crucial as a potential source of support for expanding the scheme.

“We spent a lot of time finding a sponsor because brands were worried there might be accidents on the bikes which could damage their brand,” she said.

“However, things changed once we made the streets safer with more cycle lanes.”

Janette Sadik-Khan is the author of the book, Streetfight: Handbook for an Urban Revolution, based on her experience in New York and as a global transportation advisor