Road narrowing on Scholarstown Road

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
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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:

• Rising traffic demand from new housing — Developments like White Pines Central (114 apartments) and earlier permissions (e.g., 99 houses on Stocking South/Stocking Lane area) add hundreds of households and vehicles. Traffic assessments for these projects acknowledge impacts on the local network, including Scholarstown Road routes. Narrowing now compounds pressure without corresponding capacity increases elsewhere.
• Commuter and family impacts — Many residents commute by car to work or drop children at schools/childcare (e.g., near Gaelscoil Chnoc Liamhna, St. Colmcille's schools, Sancta Maria College). Longer journey times increase stress, childcare costs (late pick-ups), and fuel expenses. Peak-hour congestion already affects the area, and narrowing exacerbates this during school runs and rush hours.
• Buses and emergency services — Narrowing and calming can delay buses (counter to one stated goal) and slow emergency response times in a growing suburb.
• Safety trade-offs — Traffic calming slows vehicles but may increase rear-end collisions in queues or encourage rat-running on residential side streets. Previous changes (e.g., shared paths near Orlagh Grove roundabout and junction upgrades) already generated traffic concerns among locals. Without publicly detailed recent accident or speeding data specific to Scholarstown Road justifying narrowing over alternatives (e.g., speed enforcement cameras, better junction timing), the measure appears disproportionate.
• Equity and practicality — Not all trips suit cycling/walking due to distances, weather, family needs, or shift work. Poor public transport alternatives force car reliance. Funds could prioritize bus priority lanes, park-and-ride expansions, or M50 junction improvements.

Alternatives worth considering:

• Optimise signals and roundabouts (e.g., Orlagh Grove/Scholarstown Road) for better flow.
• Enhance enforcement of existing speed limits.
• Accelerate BusConnects or local bus frequency/capacity upgrades.
• Add dedicated bus lanes or clearways on key arterials.
• Require new developments to fund road capacity upgrades or sustainable transport contributions.
• Pilot reversible lanes or peak-hour management instead of permanent narrowing.

Recommendation for the Residents Association: Encourage all residents to submit individual feedback via the official consultation portal. Collective submissions carry weight, but personalised comments (detailing personal commute impacts, school runs, or observed congestion) are most effective. The consultation is open 30 January 2026 – 13 March 2026.
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:

• Go to: https://consult.sdublincoco.ie/en/content/knocklyon-ballyboden-active-and-sustainable-travel-scheme
• Use the online survey or upload a written submission (include drawings/comments on specific sections of Scholarstown Road).

The Residents Association could: circulate this via email/noticeboard, host an information meeting before mid-February, create a simple petition template, or invite a council representative for Q&A. Individual submissions are crucial—volume of objections often influences Part VIII decisions.
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.