Artists behind the Merrion Square Arts Exhibition fear a proposed cycle lane could spell the "death" of the "very special Dublin tradition".
For almost four decades, artists have been hanging their for sale paintings off the railings of the iconic park. The prices of the paintings are said to be reduced because the cost of a gallery does not have to be covered.
However, proposals for a segregated cycle lane from Clonskeagh to the city centre have caused a stir among the artists. Under Dublin City Council's plans 33 car parking spaces will be removed from Merrion Square North which accommodates the outdoor exhibit.
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Artists park their cars in these spaces which they use to transport their art works and for shelter in the winter months. In an email to Councillors, one artist said: "The artists of Merrion Square are deeply concerned with new traffic management proposals to be put to the Councillors on Monday.
"Merrion Square artists have been exhibiting every Sunday for nearly forty years under an annual licence from Dublin City Council. They are a living cultural and tourist attraction unique to Dublin City.
She added: "Removal of their ability to shelter, in wet and cold winters and summer showers, in a car adjacent to their designated exhibition space would signal the death of this very special Dublin tradition.
One solution put forward by the artist was to allow for parking on Sundays only. She wrote: "A practical solution would be to install a soft kerb/line in lieu of a concrete kerb to define the cycle path along the park side of Merrion Square.
"This would facilitate parking only on Sundays when all traffic is light." Councillors also raised concerns about the proposed cycling infrastructure which they said locals were not consulted about.
South East Area Chair Dermot Lacey asked the Council to consult with the artists on the issue. He said: "They [the artists] have themselves put forward some options and among them are the parking on the Sundays or the moved out parking spaces.
"They also suggested using the southside of Merrion Square as the exhibition space rather than the northside. " Councillor Hazel Chu suggested the exhibition should be "moved" as parking being introduced on Sundays only would frustrate both the cyclists and the artists.
The official presenting the cycling project said they had to remove the parking spaces as the other options were not viable. He said: "It was a decision to remove parking, to remove a lane of traffic or to remove a bus lane.
"After discussions with our colleagues in traffic, we were advised that the removal of a bus lane would have serious implications or the removal of a traffic lane could potentially cause quite a significant knock on effect to traffic. It wasn't intended to affect anybody's livelihoods."
He added that they hadn't consulted with artists as it was normal procedure to engage with Councillors before other stakeholders. The official argued that there is "considerable parking provision within the area".
He said: "Within a 500 metre walk of Merrion Square North, there are close to 650 spaces including 100 on Merrion Square South."
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