COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF RATHFARNHAM / TEMPLEOGUE / FIRHOUSE / BOHERNABREENA AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, April 18, 2023

MOTION NO. 6

MOTION: Councillor Carly Bailey

To ask the Chief Executive to remove the Kissing Gate located on Limekiln Road, almost opposite Riverview ETNS and replace with an alternative that can allow greater permeability and provide access for larger power chairs and cargo bikes to the park, schools and local area more easily.

REPORT:

Regrettably it has been necessary at times to control access to parks in some instances in order to prevent access by scrambler motorbikes, quad bikes and stolen cars.  Where such controls are required there is a possible conflict with the provision of universal access to the park for users of bicycles, buggies and wheelchairs. The kissing gate which is located at the Limekiln Road entrance to Tymon Park opposite Riverview Educate Together is the standard kissing gate used by South Dublin County Council and other local authorities, it is intended to allow access for legitimate park users but to exclude motorbikes.  It is however accepted that it does prevent access for some larger bikes, double buggies and larger mobility scooters. 

In recent years the Council has designed an adjustable kissing gate which gives maximum space to enable a legitimate user of the park to pass through the gate when there are no scrambler issues and the gate can be left in the fully open position. The gate can be simply adjusted to act as a normal kissing gate when reports are received of scramblers, motorbikes or quad bikes entering the park on a regular basis.  If this proposal is agreed then the replacement of the kissing gate at this location can be included in the draft Public Realm Improvement Works Programme for 2024.

The installation of kissing gates at entrances to parks and open spaces is regarded as a temporary measure which it is hoped can be relaxed and removed at some time in the near future.  In this regard the passing of legislation which will give the necessary powers to the Gardai to seize scramblers from persons who are using them illegally is awaited and it is hoped that this legislation will bring about the much needed change in this area which will ultimately result in the removal of the scourge of scrambler use from public parks.  There are currently two pieces of legislation before the Houses of the Oireachtas in relation to this matter.  The first of these is the Road Traffic (All-terrain Vehicle and Scrambler Motorbike) (Amendment) Bill 2020 which is currently at stage 2 of the 11 stage process to pass the legislation. The second is the Criminal Justice (Public Order) (Scramblers and Quadbikes) (Amendment) Bill 2021 which is also indicated to be at stage 2 of the process.