COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF DEVELOPMENT PLAN MEETING

Thursday, June 17, 2021

MOTION NO.

MOTION: Councillor Carly Bailey

To prioritise traffic calming measures and works needed to improve safety at road crossings and for such work to be decided by experienced staff, evidence, and data.

REPORT:

 There are several objectives contained within the CE Draft Plan which encompass the issues of traffic calming and safety at road crossings raised in the motion, as follows:

 SM5 Objective 1: ‘To ensure that all streets and street networks are designed to passively calm traffic through the creation of a self-regulating street environment that promotes active travel modes and public transport’.

 SM5 Objective 2: ‘To design new streets and roads within urban areas in accordance with the principles, approaches and standards contained within the Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets’.

 SM5 Objective 3: ‘To advance national and local initiatives in relation to road design and safety’.

 SM6 Objective 2: ‘To protect sensitive areas from inappropriate levels of traffic through design measures that will calm and/or reroute traffic’.

The preferred approach is for streets to be designed to passively calm traffic through measures such as appropriate street width, shared surfaces, building frontage, reduced visibility spays and corner radii, etc., rather than the retro-fitting of traffic calming measures. However, it is acknowledged that there are circumstances, often in established areas that were originally designed to facilitate motorised traffic, where traffic calming measures may be necessary. It is therefore considered that an additional objective specifically referring to the issues raised in the motion would be appropriate. This would be located under Policy SM 6 ‘Traffic and Transport Mangement’ and should read as follows:

 ‘To prioritise traffic calming measures, where appropriate, and works needed to improve safety at road crossings’. 

With respect to the element of the motion that states ‘for such work to be decided by experienced staff, evidence, and data’, it should be noted that the prioritisation of work and the allocation of staff is a matter for the Local Authority Executive to deal with in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government Acts.

Recommendation: It is recommended that the motion is adopted with amendments through the inclusion of a new objective in the Draft Plan within Policy SM 6 ‘Traffic and Transport Management’ to address some of the issues raised in the motion, as follows:

‘To prioritise traffic calming measures, where appropriate, and works needed to improve safety at road crossings’.