Over 200 submissions received for Old Bawn Road active travel

MORE than 200 submissions were submitted for the non-statutory public consultation for proposed active travel improvements on the southern side of Old Bawn Road.

222 submissions were received in relation to the consultation which discussed potential improvements to three junctions located near Old Bawn and Firhouse, including the Killinniny Road junction, Kiltipper Road junction and Firhouse Road West junction.

The scheme is part of the Active Travel corridor as adopted in Cycle South Dublin Programme.

The proposed junction upgrades include protected T-junctions with full signal control at the Kiltipper Road and Firhouse Road West junctions.

The larger Killinniny Road junction by The Old Mill is proposed to become a “protected junction with three traffic lane approach on Old Bawn and Firhouse Road and two-lane approach on Killinniny Road and Bohernabreena Road”, according to the local authority.

Councillor Niamh Whelan expressed concern over “really invasive reductions” to roads and called on South Dublin County Council to take submissions on board.

Cllr Whelan said: “I express my concern around the direction they’re taking with active travel and the really invasive reductions to the roads they’re making.

“I always say at the outset, I’m absolutely in support of providing safe infrastructure and safe travel for everybody, pedestrians, cyclists, car users, but I just think that the way that this has been rolled out and the massive amounts of road taken up, which is just making journeys longer for people in cars, which defeats the purpose of what the scheme is supposed to do… “…I really hope they take what’s in the submissions on board.”

The Tallaght councillor noted her support for active travel infrastructure but noted chaos that may be created by changes, and noted that the number of incidents reported at those junctions were not high.

According to the Road Safety Authority, there were four serious collisions and eight non-serious collisions between Firhouse Road West and Oldcourt Road from 2016 and 2023, with injuries across all modes of transport noted, from pedestrians to cyclists and motorists.

Surveys identified safety issues for vulnerable road users at the existing junctions, particularly students from Firhouse Community College near the Killinniny Road junction, with one count in May 2025 totalling 6,400 pedestrians and cyclists on footpath and cycle lanes over 24 hours.

Bus gate signals have also been proposed on the Firhouse Road approach to Old Bawn Road to give priority to bus movements to move into the right turn pocket ahead of general traffic.

The next steps include completion of preliminary design and a public consultation for the final design of Old Bawn Road Active Travel Scheme between the N81 and Killinniny Road.

Submissions will be reviewed and incorporated in the preliminary design where appropriate.