Traffic Calming At Shanbally Not Fit For Purpose Says Cllr

Writes Leo McMahon

‘Shanbally’s traffic calming scheme is no longer fit for purpose’, declared Cllr Marcia D’Alton (Ind) at the recent meeting of the county council’s Carrigaline Municipal District (MD).

She, along with Cllr Seamus McGrath (FF) also repeated the call for a controlled pedestrian crossing at the village.

Cllr D’Alton said there was need to examine the overall efficacy of the traffic calming scheme. Installed in 2001, it clearly no longer matched Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) guidelines and traffic volumes had almost doubled in the meantime.

TII did write back to the council saying the latter would need to do preliminary work before they looked at it. She then asked for an update from the engineer Alan Cogan about this and the crossing for the next meeting.

Senior executive engineer Madeleine Healy undertook to look for an official update from the council’s Road Design Office (RDO). She understood from her last contact with the RDO that it would be progressed.

Cllr D’Alton also enquired about traffic calming/pedestrian safety measures on the approach to Monkstown village core. The engineer said it was in the second phase of such works and would enquire about funding for 2023.

Malodorous smells from either the waste water treatment plant or networks supporting it continued to be a significant issue at Shanbally, said Cllr McGrath. It was agreed to contact Irish Water.

Cllr D’Alton requested a shower for the public using Luck Beach near Ringaskiddy adding that a tap would also be most welcome. She suggested that €5,000 that had been earmarked for another amenity in the MD that couldn’t be taken up for this year, be spent at Luck instead.

Ms Conway undertook to enquire into this. Irish Water told her that the cost of installing the shower at Luck would be €5,000 and this could be discussed at the next meeting.

To her request for a bus stop near The Ensign, Monkstown, executive engineer Alan Cogan replied that he spoke with Bus Eireann who confirmed it was a dedicated stop. It would be marked.

Cllr D’Alton asked for an update on the automated public toilet in the Town Hall, Passage West which has been closed for a long time. Mr Cogan assured her that the council had made several calls on providers JC Decaux several times about this. He would try to contact them again.