No traffic-calming measures for ‘nightmare’ junction
NO FURTHER traffic calming measures are proposed or recommended for the pedestrian crossing at the Kingswood Luas stop, despite it being the site of two incidents in recent weeks.
As previously reported in The Echo, 13-year-old Luke Mullen was hit by a car while crossing the road there on November 4, while the following week there was a collision between a car and a van.
Luke’s father, Karl Mullen, said earlier this month that the junction is “an absolute nightmare.
“My wife would walk to Dunnes with the kids, but the last thing we want to do is use a junction where it’s like Russian roulette,” he said.
“If you look at that road, there’s no speed control or ramps. They can tear up and down that road when there’s no traffic – it’s very dangerous.
“Ramps would be ideal. At the moment, it’s like a free-for-all. It’s unbelievable.”
Independent councillor Mick Duff described the crossing as being at a “lethal junction”, adding that “we cannot wait for a fatality to happen before we address [it]”.
However, a South Dublin County Council spokeswoman recently confirmed to The Echo that there are no plans for additional traffic-calming measures to be implemented at the junction.
The spokeswoman stated: “I wish to advise that this junction was designed and installed as part of the Outer Ring Road construction some time ago, and for which a safety audit was carried out at design stage which informed the junction layout.”
She said there are signal-controlled pedestrian crossings at the junction and there are “excellent sight lines to all signals on all approaches”.
“SDCC previously analysed the signal sequence which was then altered to ensure all traffic movements have ample time to clear the pedestrian crossing which they are traversing,” she added.
“There is traffic calming in place on the approach from Kingswood Heights in the form of a ramp.
“A ‘Ghost Island’ and a ‘Refuge Island’ with secondary traffic signals are in place on the approach from Belgard Road to narrow the road.
“The lane width on Bóthar Katherine Tynan at this location is less than three metres on both two-lane approaches.
“Accordingly, no further traffic calming measures are recommended or proposed for this location,” concluded the spokeswoman.
