High nellies, steam engines, and men and women in Edwardian dress accounted for the bulk of the traffic around Herbert Park in Dublin on Saturday afternoon as the capital closed some of its roads to mark European Car Free Day.
Parnell Square East, Merrion Square West and the road through Herbert Park in Donnybrook, Dublin 4, were all closed to vehicles from the early morning to host a number of events. There was little traffic disruption as a result of the events.
In Herbert Park, gentlemen played croquet on the lawns, ladies consumed tea and scones beneath the sun-drenched marquee and children screamed in delight on an old-fashioned carousel. The day also saw the Ballsbridge, Donnybrook and Sandymount Historical Society marking the centenary of the Irish International Exhibition.
Events in Merrion Square celebrated Car Free Day in a more contemporary fashion, with skateboarders, cyclists and break-dancers exhibiting their skills to large numbers of onlookers, while those who gathered in Parnell Square were treated to live opera and gypsy music and tours of the Hugh Lane gallery.
In Cork, concessions were made for buses and taxis, but all other vehicles were banned from St Patrick's Street between 11am and 5pm and the Cork Environmental Forum held a Rebel Pedal Parade, which saw penny-farthings and unicycles completing a leisurely circuit of the city before returning to Emmet Place for a lively street festival.
Car Free Day is part of European Mobility Week, which aims to encourage people to adopt new approaches of getting to and from work, school and other daily activities.
While most revellers enjoyed the events that took place, many of them were sceptical of the impact that the Car Free Day was having around Dublin.
Cyclist David Ryan from Dublin 6 believed Car Free Day was having a "minimal impact in the city" and was little more than a "token gesture".
"I cycled here [to Herbert Park] from Rathmines this afternoon and the traffic was as bad as ever for a Saturday.
"They should have held this on a working day and advertised it more so that it might have some kind of an impact," Mr Ryan said.
Conor Faughnan of AA Roadwatch said the day had been a success but "had little effect on traffic around the country. It is a benign idea and those who took part in the events seem to have enjoyed them".
However, he said "it would be very unrealistic to try and have something like this on a weekday".
