Fingal County Council has put proposals for ramps on St. Fintan’s Road
in Sutton on public display.  The deadline for comments is 7th
December, (although I would be interested in feedback even after this
deadline.)  The notice giving details of where to see the
proposals is below.  I am trying to get the proposals also on display on the Council website.
COMHAIRLE CONTAE FHINE GALL

FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL

ROAD TRAFFIC ACT 1994

SECTION 38

TRAFFIC CALMING SCHEMES

Fingal County Council in exercise of the powers conferred on it by
Section 38 of the Road Traffic Act 1994 hereby gives notice that it has
prepared Schemes for the provision of traffic calming measures at the
following locations: –

1.    Redfern Avenue, Wendell Avenue and Carrickhill, Portmarnock
2.    St. Fintans Road, Sutton
3.    Sutton Park, Sutton Downs, Alden Road, Verbena Avenue, Sarto Park
    Bayside Walk and Bayside Dart Station

The Schemes provide for the construction of traffic calming ramps in
bituminous macadam with a red wearing course finish at selected
locations.  The Schemes also provide for the provision of
appropriate road signage.

The plans and particulars of each Scheme as shown on Drawing No’s.
TC-100-01, TC-200-01 and TC-300-01 are available for inspection from
Wednesday 23rd November 2005 to Wednesday 7th December 2005 as follows:
–

Transportation Department,    Monday-Friday    9.00a.m. – 5.00p.m.
Fingal County Council,
Grove Road,
Blanchardstown,
Dublin 15.

Fingal County Hall,    Monday-Friday    9.00a.m. -5.00p.m.
Main Street,
Swords,
Co. Dublin.

Baldoyle Library,    Monday-Thursday    10.00a.m.-8.30p.m.
Strand Road,    Friday-Saturday    10.00a.m.-5.00p.m.
Baldoyle,
Dublin 13.

Portmarnock Sports and Leisure Club,    Monday-Friday    10.00a.m-4p.m
Blackwood Lane,
Portmarnock,
Co. Dublin.

Bayside Community Centre,    Monday-Friday    10.00a.m-4p.m
Bayside Square,
Bayside,
Co. Dublin

Sutton Park Secondary School,    Monday-Friday    10.00a.m-4p.m
St. Fintan’s Road,
Sutton,
Co. Dublin.

Submissions or observations with respect to the proposed scheme dealing
with the proper planning and development of the area in which the
scheme would be situated may be made in writing to Deirdre Sinclair,
Transportation Department, Fingal County Council, Grove Road,
Blanchardstown, Dublin 15 or email to deirdre.sinclair@fingalcoco.ie,
to arrive no later than 4.00p.m. on Wednesday 7th December 2005.

Deirdre Sinclair
Administrative Officer
Transportation Department.

I have made comments to Dublin City Council in relation to their
proposal to increase the speed limit on the Grange Road west of the
railway line and arguing for more 30km/hr zones in residential areas
and near schools in Dublin North-East. 
Lower speed limits mean not only a much reduced likelihood of accidents
but also much better survival rates for pedestrians who do get
hit.  Over half of pedestrians hit at the current urban speed
limit of 50km/hr are killed.  At 30km/hr, your chance of being
killed is below 10%.  The letter is below.
              
           
            
             
              
           
           
           
              
54, Páirc Éabhóra,
              
           
           
           
           
            
           
           
           
        Beann Éadair,
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
            B.Á.C. 13

           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
            25th November
2005

Executive Manager,
Roads & Traffic Department,
Civic Offices,
Wood Quay,
Dublin 8

Re: Speed limits

A chara,

I refer to the public consulation above and would like to make the following comments.

Firstly the map as displayed on your website is very hard to
understand.  Many roads are missing from it and the words on the
map are very unclear.

Having said that, I wish to raise two areas of concern.

Grange Road:

The 60km/hr speed limit you are proposing on the Grange road west of
the railway line is out of keeping with the surrounding area.  To
the east of the railway, Fingal County Council has traffic calmed the
Grange Rd. in Baldoyle and I have verified myself that traffic slows to
a maximum of 30km/hr going over the ramps.  I anticipate therefore
that we in Fingal County Council will designate Baldoyle as a 30km/hr
zone.  It would not be in keeping with that designation to have a
60km/hr designation implemented on the other side of the railway
bridge.  

Additionally, motorists and cyclists in the housing estates on both
sides of the Grange Road have difficulty coming out onto the Grange
Road and pedestrians have difficulty crossing the road to access
schools, buses shops etc.  This road needs to be slowed and calmed
not speeded up.

A further consideration is the difficulty pedestrians have in using the
roundabout at the junction of Grange Road and Hole in the Wall
road.  Increased traffic speeds on Grange Road and Clare Hall
Avenue will only worsen this problem.

30km/hr zones

It is disappointing that you are not proposing any 30km/hr zones on the
Northside, except for Marino.  There are many residential areas
such as Darndale or Ayrfield which could appropriately be made 30km/hr
zones and I urge you to include more 30km/hr zones in these residential
areas.

In particular, there are many schools in the area and I recommend that
all roads in the vicinity of schools be considered for 30km/hr zones.

Is mise, le meas,

David Healy
Green Councillor for Baldoyle/Sutton/ Howth area

Large numbers of students attending Pobalscoil Neasáin cycle across
Seagrange Park to get to school.  Unfortunately the single tarmac
path is often too narrow for both the cyclists and the pedestrians,
many with young children or buggies.  During the summer as a
result of the water piping being laid through the park, there was for a
while two separate paths.  Unfortunately, as it was only a
temporary path without adequate foundations, it had to be taken up
despite residents’ requests to keep it.

Because this was a popular solution I proposed at the Area Cttee. that
the Parks Department draw up a plan for a separate tarmacked cycletrack
across the park. This motion was agreed unanimously.

At the Area Committee meeting on 17th November 2005, Councillors
unanimously agreed to a motion I proposed: "That the Manager bring
forward plans for an extension to Howth Library".

The shed on the Green at Moyclare is an unacceptable eyesore.  To
make it worse, the Council vehicles accessing it have left the area
with broken footpaths, lumpy tarmac and churned-up grass.  I have
raised it at the area committee but have not yet made real progress.{mosimage} The following question was from the meeting of the Area Committee on 3rd November:
ITEM NO. 25

PUMPING HOUSE AT MOYCLARE

Question:    Councillor D. Healy

“To ask the Manager to put the pumping house on the green in Moyclare
underground and to repair damage done by Council vehicles to the green,
footpaths and kerbing in the area?”

Reply:

The pumps and sump of this pump station are located underground.  The
control equipment is located directly above the pumps and sump and
housed in the structure at the corner of the green in Moyclare.  It
would not be possible to place the control equipment underground
because of the risk of water entering any underground chamber housing
this equipment.  

In mid 2005, Water Services Dept. carried out refurbishment work at
this pumpstation (replacing pumps and control equipment, replacing the
rising main exiting the pump station).  The Green is fully reinstated
and minor snags with the footpaths and kerbs will be addressed  in the
near future."

I’m not happy with this so I have put the following motion down for the meeting on 1st December:

That the pumphouse on the green in Moyclare be either moved underground
or incorporated in or near the new housing development so that it is no
longer an eyesore.
{mosimage}

Design of new road in Balgriffin/ Belcamp

The local Area Committee has agreed to my proposal to alter the brief
for the realignment of the Malahide Road to place greater emphasis on
protecting the environment and on walking and public transport.

      
Large new areas of housing are being developed in the
Balgriffin/Belcamp area.  There are new roads proposed for the
area as well.  There is a real risk that the woodlands and habitat
along the Moyne river will be destroyed and that the quality of life of
local residents will be destroyed.  I recently became aware
of  the brief for the engagement of a consulting engineer for
realigning the Malahide Road in Balgriffin.

The brief says: “The proposed roads shall be capable of dealing with
the forecast level of traffic, provide for public transport, taking
into account urban design issues and environmental impacts.”  This
appears to be the core design brief, and is one which I think is
flawed.   I think this because there is no way that the roads
can deal with the forecast level of traffic.  The only rational
response is to ensure that the inevitable traffic congestion does not
interfere with the walkability and quality of the community and with
public transport.   In response, I put down the following
motion for our Area Committee meeting on 3rd November:

"That all design briefs for new roads in the Balgriffin Belcamp area
have as their priority goals the provision and maintenance of a quality
environment for residents, the protection of the local environment and
the creation of walkable communities easily accessed and traversed by
public transport and by bicycle."

This motion was unanimously agreed.   This is part of a
process of change in transport planning, turning it away from the
futile attempt to provide for more and more cars.

In response to a proposal of mine, Dublin Bus is to send
representatives to the Howth/Malahide Area Committee meeting on
Thursday 17th November at 3pm in Baldoyle Library to discuss the
31/31B/31C bus service and bus services on the Howth peninsula. 
The public is welcome to attend these meetings.  Additionally, I
would be interested in any new feedback or comments in advance of the
meeting.

It was agreed at the local Area Committee meeting to put traffic
calming proposals for St. Fintan’s Road on public display. Site
notices will go up giving details of the times and
locations for the display and for receipt of comments by the public.

Although the Government has seriously weakened the Freedom of
Information Act, there are other important remedies available to the
public, especially in the area of environmental information. 
Ireland has signed up to the Aarhus Convention on Access to
Information,Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to
Justice in Environmental Matters. (www.unece.org/env/pp) Unfortunately
the government has not yet ratified the Convention so it is not in
force here.

However, the European Union has taken action to implement the Aarhus
Convention.  (europa.eu.int/comm/environment/aarhus)  In
particular, it has implemented two Directives:

• Directive 2003/4/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council
  of 28 January 2003 on public access to environmental information and
  repealing Council Directive 90/313/EEC, and
• Directive 2003/35/EC of the European Parliament and of the
  Council of 26 May 2003 providing for public participation in respect of
  the drawing up of certain plans and programmes relating to the
  environment and amending with regard to public participation and access
  to justice Council Directives 85/337/EEC and 96/61/EC

Both of these Directives should have been implemented in Ireland already – in February and June 2005. #

However, you can still rely on the information Directive and on the
existing Irish Regulations , SI 125 of 1998
(www.irishstatutebook.ie/ZZSI125Y1998.html) which provide that all public authorities must make environmental information available (with certain limited exemptions). Unlike the Freedom of Information Act, there is no charge for making a request for this information.

Additionally, if there is any way in which I can help you get
information, by putting down questions at Council meetings or if you
would like a Green Party TD to put down questions in the Dáil, please
let me know.

Fingal is part of the Eastern River Basin District (www.erbd.ie), set
up to comply with the requirements of the Water Framework Directive.

At the moment the Advisory Council for the Eastern River Basin District
is being set up.  Environmental NGOs are coordinating their input
through the Sustainable Water Network (www.swanireland.ie), whose
website is also a good source of information on the Water Framework
Directive itself.