Kildare County Council plans to build cycle lane near Naas school

Kildare County Council is planning to build a segregated high quality cycle track on the Craddockstown Road in Naas to serve Naas Community National School.

The infrastructure is 350m in length and will be located between the junction with Ballycane Road and the school campus.

The proposed development comprises of a 3m wide protected two-way cycle track on the north-eastern side of Craddockstown Road.

Also being provided is a 2m wide footpath on either side of Craddockstown Road.

The existing road crossing in the area will be replaced by a Toucan crossing, a type of pedestrian crossing that also allows bicycles to be ridden across.

Works will also take place to improve the side road crossing at Oak Glade residential area.

Submissions or observations on the proposed development can be made online or in writing to the Roads Transportation and Public Safety Department before 5pm on Wednesday, August 17.

The council said that late submissions will not be accepted.

Meanwhile, the Naas Cycling Campaign welcomed the infrastructure but said: “350m outside the school is not enough to get kids to cycle more if the rest of their route is unsafe.”

He added that there must be a network of cycle lanes throughout the town to enable people of all ages to cycle more.

Campaigner Colm Byrne told the Leader: “This network needs to link all the major destinations in the town including schools, shops, sports clubs and transport hubs.

“There also needs to be a 30kph speed limit throughout the town, a HGV ban on Main Street and exclusion zones of cars outside schools at drop off and collection times.”