Writes Leo McMahon
There was full support for a motion from an cathaoirleach Cllr Seamus McGrath (FF) at the monthly meeting of the county council’s Carrigaline Municipal District (MD) for traffic calming on the road between St Peter’s Community School, Barr an Bhaile and Parkview Estate, Passage West.
In a report, senior executive engineer Madeleine Healy said: ‘This area is a 30kph zone with adequate footpaths and a dedicated school warden crossing point’.
Acknowledging the reply, Cllr McGrath asked that his request be kept on the agenda. ‘It’s a particularly straight section with an incline which can lend itself to speed and there are two schools, primary and post primary nearby, with a school warden at the primary school only.’
He suggested traffic/speed data be collected during the next school term and the issue be revisited.
Seconding, Cllr Una McGrath (FG) said the area needed looking at and the data would be welcome. She suggested the community school and Star of the Sea National School be part of the Safe Route to School Programme that could encourage walking or cycling because both were close together and it was quite busy there on school mornings and collection times.
Cllr Eoghan Fahy (SF) in support, said he previously raised the issue with the council. He felt there was need for a pedestrian crossing because there was a dip on the road. He also questioned the purpose of the yellow box and called for road repairs further down.
The engineer acknowledged the request which was one of many the council received and there was a process involved under Section 38 of the Road Traffic Act for traffic calming proposals. The first step would be a survey and it would be done during school times with a view to seeing what could be done.
Cllr Fahy referred to an overgrowth at and near a vacant site at Maple Rise, Passage West, saying it interfered with the crossing from Harbour Heights to Aldi.
In her report, MD officer (MDO) Denise Kidney confirmed that the council’s architect’s department was successful in securing funding of €50,000 to produce a heritage led regeneration plan for Passage West. The tender was being reviewed and an update would follow.
The list of nine derelict sites on the register in the MD was the same as for June, she stated. In reply to Cllr Fahy who contended there must be many more, Ms Kidney said there would be other owners not yet on the register who were served with notices.
It was agreed on a proposal by Cllr McGrath to get a further update and schedule a meeting with officials in the autumn because it was a big issue across the MD and councillors were aware of several properties that were not on the list.
The MDO said ten applications were received from 15 Tidy Towns groups contacted in the MD who could avail, with successful applications, of the MD’s Village Enhancement Scheme totalling just over €68,000 which would be evenly divided. Two groups decided not to avail of it. One was due to respond to emails from the MD office while two others hadn’t.
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