Kissing gates removal in Dodder Valley Park ‘erodes local democracy’

INSTRUCTIONS from the Department of Transport and the National Transport Authority for the removal of kissing gates in Dodder Valley Park “erode local democracy”, according to a councillor.

The kissing gates in Dodder Valley Park were installed by South Dublin County Council in 2020, in a bid to prevent scrambler-bike riders from gaining access to the park.

However, the kissing gates have come under scrutiny in recent months after a social media post by a BBC journalist who couldn’t get through one of the park’s kissing gates on his handcycle.

Ellis Palmer, who is from the Wirral and works for BBC NewsHour and World Service, encountered the gate while handcycling across the east of the country last March, and posted a video on Twitter of him being unable to get through the gate on his handcycle.

Prior to this, in February 2022, the NTA wrote to local authorities around the country advising that the Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan TD, had directed that “non-compliant access controls”, such as kissing gates, be removed in order to facilitate “universal access and free-flow cycling”.

Following press coverage of Mr Palmer’s difficulty using the kissing gate, the Department of Transport sent a letter to the council reiterating the removal of the kissing gates last April.

“It is imperative that universal access is provided to these important pieces of transport infrastructure quickly,” the Department of Transport stated.

“Kissing gates and most other forms of access controls do not actually work in excluding ‘scramblers’; they can be lifted over the wall (which in the case of Dodder Valley Park is actually lower than the kissing gate itself).”

Independent councillor for Tallaght Central, Mick Duff, criticised the move, saying an alternative solution for dealing with scrambler bikes has not been provided by the NTA or the Department of Transport.

“I have no difficulty with the removal of the kissing gates whatsoever, providing they have a solution to the scrambler issue, but they don’t have one,” Cllr Duff told The Echo.

“Until they get legislation in to deal with the issue, then there’s no way we can support the removal of the kissing gates in Dodder Valley Park.”

Two bills are currently in the process of being passed through the Dáil to deal with the issue. However, the Government is currently on a summer recess and both bills are at stage two in an eleven-stage process.

“They are assuming that, with the removal of the kissing gates, the scrambler problem has gone away in light of the impending legislation,” added Cllr Duff.

“But we’ll be lucky if we see that legislation enacted before the end of the year.

“For them to turn around and demand the removal of the kissing gates, without the legislation to protect park users . . . it’s another way of eroding local democracy.

“If everybody can’t use the park in safety, then what’s the point of removing the gates? We need to guarantee that park users are not going to be at risk or in danger because of scramblers getting into the park.”

As for cyclists and wheelchair users who would like to use the park, Cllr Duff accepted that the kissing gates could be prohibitive and suggested the installation of electric gates, with fobs given to members of the community who would require the gate to be fully open for them to use it.

A spokesperson for the Department of Transport told The Echo that cycling infrastructure funded by the Department, such as the Dodder Greenway, should be accessible to all “be it wheelchair users, people on mobility devices, people on cargo bikes, recumbent bikes, bikes with panniers.

“That is the sole purpose of the letter [sent to the council], to ensure that publicly funded walking and cycling infrastructure is usable by all.”

When asked about the use of kissing gates to prevent scrambler bikers from accessing parks, the spokesperson referenced the legislation that is currently in the Oireachtas and said the gates are “ineffective at stopping scrambler bikes from accessing Greenways”.

They said bikers can lift the scramblers around or over the gates, and the gates “often exacerbated issues as they provided a focal point for people to congregate who would then harass and in some cases assault Greenway users.”

The Echo contacted South Dublin County Council to ascertain whether there are plans for the gates to be removed and what measures would be implemented in their place.

At the time of going to print, no responses were received.