COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF RATHFARNHAM / TEMPLEOGUE / FIRHOUSE / BOHERNABREENA AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

MOTION NO.1

MOTION: Councillor P. Kearns, Councillor Y. Collins

That this Council furnishes a review of the trial agreed to be carried out of the cycle path at Whitehall Road, to include a comprehensive safety audit, an emissions report and the KPIs for the trial.

REPORT:

The design for the proposal of the Whitehall Road trial is now complete and the scheme is scheduled to go to tender end of May 2025. The proposal was represented to the Councillors at an earlier Area Committee Meeting and has been shown and shared with the Residents Association. 

It is important to note that the trial is meant to refine the design proposal in operation as agreed at the approval of the Part 8 of the scheme. It will give us the opportunity to see what’s working and what’s not working and, in the process, adjust the design on the ground accordingly in consultation with all stakeholders. This trial was never meant to determine whether the active travel scheme will go ahead or not on Whitehall Road. It’s not an extension of the Part 8 process. It was agreed that the active travel scheme along Whitehall Road will go ahead but initially as a trial so that an assessment of the proposal can be made before some elements of permanent works are carried out.

It would not be correct to consider that KPIs will be the grounds on whether to keep the active travel scheme or not. Rather, the KPIs will be used to assess if any changes are required and will assist in refining the design on the ground. 'Before' traffic surveys have already been carried out, and these include junction counts, speed surveys queue lengths and delays, and parking surveys. When the scheme is in place 'after' traffic surveys will be carried out together with roadside surveys / interviews. Emissions were not considered in the before and after measurements as this scheme is not going to bring any more vehicular traffic on Whitehall Road, and if anything, the scheme is going to reduce vehicular traffic on Whitehall Road as some motorists will move to cycling and other more sustainable modes of transport as adequate and safe facilities will be provided.

Road Safety audits will be carried for the scheme at various stages of implementation. An independent stage 2 Road Safety Audit has already been carried out on the detailed design of the scheme. The safety audit report was shared with the resident’s association and can be made available upon request and is also attached. Stage 3 Road Safety audit of the scheme will be carried out upon completion of the scheme, and will be followed 12months later with a road user quality audit (Stage 4).