No going back on decision to close street junction in County Kildare town

Kildare County Council has rejected a call to reverse a decision to partially close a town centre junction.

It came from independent councillor Seamie Moore who asked KCC to remove the traffic bollards at the junction of Abbey Street and Basin Street, Naas and it was endorsed by a majority of his councillor colleagues.

He said he accepted that there are safety and congestion issues at the location but these could be addressed by creating a one way street.

He also said that while the measure  will facilitate other works to take place between the town centre and the Grand Canal area “we do not know when these will be done.”

Cllr Moore called for the council to “look at another system” rather than persisting with the bollards and  closing the junction.

They also said that because of the bollards there are more hazards and safety issues than heretofore. He was supported by Fine Gael’s Evie Sammon who said the area is now more dangerous because heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) are turning in an area that is closed off.

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She also said that the area is hazardous because of the absence of a footpath adding “I wouldn’t walk it, especially with a buggy.”

Cllr Sammon said the change had not improved the situation for drivers or pedestrians and a one way system “should be  looked at.”

All of the councillors are getting complaints, said Cllr Anne Breen who said a one way system would work.

Cllr Bill Clear also highlighted the dangers posed to children because of the narrow footpath between the junction and the main street.”A lot of children use it, it is just so dangerous. Children are taking their lives in their hands,” he added.

KCC engineer Donal Hodgins said the council operates within policy frameworks signed off on by the councillors themselves and he added that KCC is competent and has significant experience in these issues.

Mr Hodgins told the meeting that vulnerable road users are the top priority “and rightly so” in urban areas.

There are, he added, “significant safety benefits” as a result of the closure and “you cannot argue that this made (the area) more dangerous.” He said “factually that is not correct.”

Mr Hodgins said the junction is safe for vulnerable road users and HGVs do not need to go to Abbey Street to unload goods and there is a loading bay outside Kavanagh’s pub.

Reopening the junction will not make it safer, he said.

He also noted that all active travel proposals must be “aligned to the road user hierarchy defined by the Department of Transport and National Transport Authority and this puts pedestrians first in terms of consideration when designing schemes.

He said the situation allowing motorised vehicles to turn “blind” from Abbey Street on to Basin Street endangered pedestrians and other vulnerable road users “and the elimination of through traffic has brought immense safety benefits to users of this street.”

He said the bollards prioritise the needs of vulnerable road users rather than the needs of motorised traffic. It is therefore not proposed to remove them.

He also said there are opportunities for further enhancements of the area now that this potential collision point has been removed. 

He said Basin Street and the harbour quarter area can be redeveloped “in the context of filtered permeability for pedestrians” whilst retaining sustainable and appropriate access for vehicles to serve the needs of local businesses.