Council to observe how bollards will affect people close to school

COUNCIL workers will observe how the recently installed bollards on Firhouse Road West will affect people who use the road as a pick-up and drop-off point for Scoil Maelruain NS.

This is according to information that was provided to councillors this week, following on from a well-attended public meeting where residents voiced their opposition to the bollards.

The bollards are there to create a segregated cycle track as part of the D24 Neighbourhood Cycle Network project, but it has resulted in a narrower road width for motorists.

As previously reported in The Echo, the bollards had been placed by contractors appointed by South Dublin County Council in early August, but within three days had been vandalised.

A well-attended public meeting was then held in the Tymon Bawn Community Centre, where council officials met with residents who expressed their annoyance at the installation of the bollards.

The issues the residents raised included concerns about cars being unable to give way to emergency vehicles due to the decreased road width, and potential traffic congestion during the school run.

This week, councillors were informed that the situation would be monitored by council staff over the next week or two to assess how the bollards impact school drop-off and pick-up times.

The council stated that there are some “potential small changes that could be made in this area” which will be informed by the staffs’ observations during the school run.

“It is also worth noting that some of the issues raised are down to the challenges of constructing the scheme and I appreciate that during construction it can be very unsettling,” they stated.

“In our experience of similar works elsewhere in the county, once the works are complete and people get used to the new arrangement this does help to resolve some of the concerns raised to date.”