COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF LUCAN AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

MOTION NO. 6

MOTION: Councillor G. O'Connell

Cathaoirleach's Business

"As a follow up to the emergency motion passed at the November LAC and given the recently agreed policy on the Mobility and Management of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) on South Dublin County Road Network and the subsequent review of weight restrictions that now propose a weight restriction of 7.5 tonne on Kennelsfort Road, this committee now requests that Management revisit this proposal and provide for a restriction of 3.5 tonne on Kennelsfort Road Upper from the N148 to the entrance of Woodfarm Acres for the following evidence based reasons: 1. The Dublin City Council has installed a 3.5 tonne restriction on Ballyfermot Road and as both this road and Kennelsfort Road, which flow into each other at the County Boundary, feed into/serve the Coldcut Road and adjacent roads including the Liffey Valley Town Centre, it is imperative that both Ballyfermot Road and Kennelsfort Road have the same level of protection otherwise there will be a huge displacement factor with Kennelsfort Road having to carry excessive and undesitrable Heavy Goods Vehicle traffic. 2. Kennelsfort Road is already carrying excessive levels of motorised traffic, mainly but not solely commuter traffic and increasingly Liffey Valley Town Centre Traffic especially at peak times leading to congestion and noise and air pollution and to an unacceptable level of safety hazards for pedestrians and cyclists; by restricting Heavy Goods Vehicles to 3.5 tonne this will remove a significant percentage of the motorised traffic and attendant hazards. 3. The houses on Kennelsfort Road with a proposed 7.5 tonne restriction, unlike the houses on Ballyfermot Road which has a 3.5 tonne restriction, are fronting onto Kennelsfort Road with consequential excessive noise and air pollution due to the lack of a 'buffer' space such as the Houses on Ballyfermot Road enjoy. 4. Kennelsfort Road has four controlled pedestrian crossings reflecting the fact that it serves two primary and one second level school for a huge number of young people as well as a cemetery, a Public House and a significant Shopping Centre which incorporates the Post Office, all of which leads to it being extensively used by Senior Citizens and other pedestrians who arrive by Bus. 5. Kennelsfort Road has two cycleways which promote this mode of transport however the road is quite narrow, has a significant hill and two serious bends and as such requires restricted vehicle flows allowing only for cars and vans as in category B instead of the proposed vans and small trucks (Category C1)."

REPORT:

The Council policy on HGV restrictions was passed by the Council in June of this year and subsequently each area committee noted the proposed changes. The implementation of this policy is now a matter for the traffic department in consultation with the Gardaí.

Considerable effort was put in by the members and the Transport SPC to create a policy on the mobility of HGV's in South Dublin County Council in an objective way. Vehicle types and EU vehicle classification were examined. Logistic operators were interviewed and road types assessed. The Policy was adopted to bring a coherent and uniform strategy to bear in making decisions relating to weight restrictions.The policy balanced the needs for South Dublin County Council to be a place of high amenity value but also a place for strong economic activity.

The criteria used in adopting the 7.5 tonne restriction in this case is in conformity with that policy. The policy document is attached herewith and your attention is drawn to Table B of that document which identifies the type of weight restriction which should be applied to local primary roads such as Kennelsfort Road together with a picture of the vehicles that would be permitted on the road at different HGV weights. You will note that the small Council truck would not be permitted to use Kennelsfort Road as a through route should the requested reduced HGV limit apply. Such a reduction is not in conformity with the policy in any event. The 7.5 tonnes restriction on this road has been agreed with the Gardaí.  

It is therefore recommended that the 7.5 tonne remain.