COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF LUCAN / PALMERSTOWN / NORTH CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, January 27, 2026

MOTION NO.19

MOTION: Councillor N. Fennell

"This committee agrees to conduct an inspection of the increasingly busy school traffic situation at drop off / collection times for the three schools on Station Road, Adamstown, with such undertaking to specifically explore the current school traffic warden arrangement."

REPORT:

Currently there are two (2) primary schools located near each other on this road, ADAMSTOWN CASTLE EDUCATE TOGETHER N.S.  and ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST

The third school referred to in the item is a secondary school and does not fall within the remit of the School Warden Scheme operated by the Council.

Currently there is one SW covering 2 designated crossings and their times are staggered as follows to ensure the safety of children as they cross:

Crossing No 93:   ADAMSTOWN ROAD ON RAMP OPPOSITE ADAMSTOWN CASTLE EDUCATE TOGETHER N.S.    AM 8.20 - 8.40   PM 2.15 - 2.30

Crossing No 94:  ADAMSTOWN ROAD ON RAMP OPPOSITE ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST N.S.    AM   8.40 - 8.55    PM 2.30 - 2.45

All new requests for SW are examined on a case-by-case basis against certain criteria which includes usage rates across existing / unofficial school crossings and traffic counts for the peak/ school crossing times on a given school day, and all recruitment and appointments, including new school wardens, is contingent on approved work force plan numbers and budgetary resources. 

An onsite inspection took place at this location in December 2025, and no issues were found from the SW service perspective.  However, poor parking and inconsiderate stopping was identified, which are enforcement matters.

A count as referred to above was conducted and an analysis of the data to ascertain if any further works may be required is currently underway. 

It should also be noted that it continues to be very difficult to recruit and maintain sufficient School Warden numbers within SDCC, and this problem is being replicated across the country.  As a result, going forward it is becoming necessary for all stakeholders to consider alternative options to ensure that primary school children are enabled to safely cross public roads to get to school.