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South Dublin County Council are proposing road narrowing on Scholarstown Road and surrounding areas as a 'traffic calming' measure. Traffic in the local area is increasing all the time, and with new housing developments on Stocking Lane, this measure will add to already increasing long commutes for workers and parents trying to drop children to school or childcare. Could the residents association encourage residents to submit their feedback on the proposal? https://consult.sdublincoco.ie/en/content/knocklyon-ballyboden-active-and-sustainable-travel-scheme Argument against road narrowing on Scholarstown Road as part of the Knocklyon-Ballyboden Active and Sustainable Travel Scheme The South Dublin County Council (SDCC) proposal includes road narrowing on Scholarstown Road and surrounding roads (Firhouse Road, Knocklyon Road, Templeroan Road, Ballyboden Road, etc.) primarily as a traffic calming measure. This supports segregated kerb-protected cycle lanes, raised entry treatments at side roads, continuous footpaths, new permeability links, Safe Routes to School measures, planting, and trees. The stated goals are to improve safety for vulnerable road users (especially near schools), enhance the public realm, promote walking/cycling, and reduce bus delays. While these aims are worthwhile, road narrowing risks worsening existing and growing traffic problems in Knocklyon/Ballyboden. Traffic volumes are rising due to ongoing residential development, and narrowing lanes reduces road capacity. This can lead to longer queues, slower average speeds (beyond the intended calming), increased idling emissions, driver frustration, and spillover congestion onto parallel routes. Key concerns:
Sample feedback text (copy/edit and submit at the portal): "I object to the proposed road narrowing on Scholarstown Road (and linked roads) in the Knocklyon-Ballyboden Active and Sustainable Travel Scheme. While I support safer cycling/pedestrian facilities, narrowing reduces capacity on roads already under pressure from rising traffic and new housing developments on Stocking Lane/White Pines (adding hundreds of units and vehicles). This will worsen congestion, extend commute times for workers and parents doing school/childcare runs, delay buses, and potentially create new safety issues from queuing. Please provide detailed traffic volume, accident, and journey time modelling data showing net benefits. Consider alternatives like signal optimisation, bus priority, enforcement, and capacity enhancements instead of permanent narrowing. Full scheme drawings and impacts should be more transparently assessed before approval." How to submit:
Review the full plans/video on the portal and base feedback on personal experience for maximum impact. This is an opportunity to push for balanced infrastructure that doesn't penalise existing road users amid growth. Objection to Proposed Single-Lane Configuration
Taylor’s Lane / Scholarstown Road Roundabout Knocklyon to Ballyboden Active & Sustainable Travel Scheme 1. Introduction and Context I am a resident of a nearby estate who relies on private car transport for daily commuting and school-related journeys. I support the objectives of the Active and Sustainable Travel Scheme, particularly improvements to pedestrian and cyclist safety and measures intended to protect school children. However, I have concerns regarding the proposed narrowing of the Taylor’s Lane/Scholarstown Road roundabout to single-lane operation, which risks creating disproportionate impacts on local residents while not demonstrably improving safety outcomes in a balanced or context-sensitive manner. 2. Function of the Taylor’s Lane/Scholarstown Road Roundabout This roundabout performs a strategic local movement function, accommodating: commuter traffic from surrounding residential estates, school-related traffic associated with nearby primary and secondary schools, bus movements and local servicing traffic. Its existing geometry provides necessary peak-hour capacity, particularly during morning and afternoon school periods. The proposed reduction to a single circulating lane represents a permanent reduction in junction capacity, rather than a minor or reversible traffic-calming measure. 3. Impact on Car-Dependent Residents While modal shift is an important policy objective, it is not achievable for all residents in this area. Many households: work in locations not well served by public transport, have shift patterns or caring responsibilities, require car use for school drop-off, special needs transport, or multi-stop trips. The proposed configuration risks: increased peak-hour queuing on Scholarstown Road and Taylor’s Lane, traffic backing up toward school entrances and access points, diversion of traffic into quieter residential streets as drivers seek to avoid delay. These impacts would disproportionately affect residents who cannot reasonably switch travel modes, raising concerns regarding equity and fairness in the reallocation of road space. 4. School Safety – A Broader View The stated aim of improving safety for school children is fully supported. However, safety must be assessed holistically, not solely through reductions in vehicle speed. Excessive queuing and congestion near schools can: increase driver frustration and unpredictable behaviour, lengthen exposure times for children crossing near stationary or stop–start traffic, displace set-down activity into less suitable residential locations. A design that reduces speed but significantly increases congestion and queuing may not deliver a net safety benefit during critical school peak periods. 5. Balance and Proportionality under DMURS The Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets (DMURS) emphasises that street and junction design should be: context-sensitive, balanced between different users, and proportionate to function and demand, rather than applying a single design solution universally. In this case, the proposed single-lane roundabout appears to prioritise geometric simplification over: the established traffic function of the junction, peak-hour and school-time operational conditions, the needs of residents who depend on reliable vehicular access. DMURS explicitly allows for flexibility and professional judgement where a street or junction performs an important movement function. A blanket reduction in capacity at this location risks falling outside that guidance. 6. Request for a More Balanced Approach Rather than opposing the scheme in principle, I respectfully request that South Dublin County Council: re-examine the roundabout design using specific modelling of school-time peak conditions; consider hybrid or modified layouts that retain necessary capacity while still improving pedestrian and cyclist safety; assess whether alternative measures—such as targeted crossings, time-based traffic management, or partial flaring—could achieve safety objectives without a full single-lane downgrade. 7. Conclusion In summary, while the safety and active travel objectives of the scheme are supported, the proposed narrowing of the Taylor’s Lane/Scholarstown Road roundabout risks creating disproportionate congestion and unintended safety impacts for nearby residents and school communities. A more nuanced, DMURS-compliant design response would better balance the needs of all road users and reflect the specific context and function of this important local junction. Comments are closed.
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