Throughout the past twelve months, I have been working with Stoneybatter and Arbour Hill residents in conjunction with Traffic Engineers in the City Council to improve road safety in the area and help slow traffic speeds.
This work has resulted in:
• the development of a Traffic Improvement Scheme in Arbour Hill
• greater traffic calming measures being developed for Oxmantown Road
• the introduction of permit parking on Ross Street
• the undertaking of a Road Safety audit on Fingal Place
Arbour Hill
• Will the footpath extend along Temple Street West?
Yes. The footpath will extend from the Museum entrance on Arbour Hill to Temple Street West and tie-in with the existing footpath.
• Will there be some form of pedestrian crossing linking the north and south sides of Arbour Hill?
Yes. An uncontrolled pedestrian crossing will be installed near the Arbour Hill / Cavalry Row junction to facilitate north to south pedestrian movements. In addition, a buildout will be installed on north side of Arbour Hill at the existing pedestrian crossing point near the Museum Entrance. This will slow traffic and reduce the distance pedestrians need to cross the road.
• How wide will the footpath be?
The footpath will be a minimum of 1.8 meters wide. According to the Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets (DMURS), this is the minimum recommended footpath width for two wheelchairs to pass by each other.
• Will there be cycle lanes?
Yes. There will be advisory cycle lanes on both sides of the road.
• What types of trees will be planted?
Dublin City Council’s Parks Department will select the most suitable tree species depending on their suitability to setting, biodiversity value and visual appearance.
Works will begin in 2019.
Oxmantown Road
Following concerns being raised with me about the volume of speeding traffic using Oxmantown Road in rush hour, both morning and evening, the Traffic Department of Dublin City Council agreed to examine what measures could be undertaken address the situation.
As a result of this, Traffic Engineers are preparing a detailed design drawing for the provision of traffic calming will be completed in early 2019. The proposals are very much in draft form at this stage but they are likely to incorporate a limited no. of small buildouts with trees to complement each other in both speed reduction and environmental terms. These measures may impact upon the existing amount of parking on the street.
As with the Arbour Hill Traffic Improvement Scheme, I will seek to undertake a Consultative process to gauge the views of householders on Oxmantown Road as well as securing input from residents as to the location of buildouts and trees that are to be planted.
Ross Street
Residents signed a petition requesting that Permit Parking & Pay & Display be introduced on the street. The Traffic Avdisory Group of Dublin City Council is expected to make a recommendation on this request shortly.
Fingal Place
The Area Engineer is currently assessing the junction of Fingal Place and Prussia Street with our consultants for consideration for the 2019 Central Area Works Program. Any recommended measures that will improve safety of the junction can be considered for inclusion on the Works Program, subject to the necessary funding. In the interim, a STOP sign has been recommended on Fingal Place to ensure that vehicles stop before proceeding through the junction. The STOP sign will be placed in-advance of the footpath/pedestrian crossing to improve pedestrian safety.
Over the coming months, I will be working to ensure that any measures proposed to improve road safety in Stoneybatter have the input and support of local residents. I believe only be implementing a bottom up approach, can you have measures that can be successful in improving road safety for pedestrians, cyclists, motorists but above all else our local community. Keep an eye out for my next Stoneybatter Matters newsletter which will include more details about these and other local initiatives.
