KILDARE: Residents object to closure of two roads in town centre
They say it will lead to traffic chaos
Plans to close two traffic routes in Sallins as part of the Grand Canal Greenway project have been criticised.
A group of area residents met last week in the town to raise awareness about the proposal, which is part of the plan to link the opened greenway section between Sallins and Aylmer Bridge with the second phase, which links the town with Robertstown.
However, Anne Fitzpatrick, who was one of the organisers with Sharon Nolan and Lorna Carroll, believes that many local people were unaware of what was intended prior to the meeting, which attracted a reported 100 people.
Kildare County Council wants to close the ramps which take traffic one way only from the town towards Sherlockstown on one side of the canal and towards Kerdiffstown on the other.
This will mean that drivers travelling in either direction will have to use the route towards the church and playground to get to Kerdiffstown and the route past the front of Lock 13 to get to Sherlockstown.
KCC says it is one of a number of measures to “improve greenway user connectivity” to Sallins as well as linking existing footpaths and cycle lanes to the GAA field and the town’s primary school.
It is also proposed to remove two dozen parking spaces - 20 from Canal View and four from along Osberstown Road to create shared space for cyclists and pedestrians slime for metres wide.
Ms Fitzpatrick said there is broad support for the greenway plan but she believes very few people were aware of the consequences.
“Nobody on the ground was aware of this and we held the meeting to point out what was happening and not to criticise; it was a powerpoint presentation not a question and answer event,” she added.
People are being invited to make a submission to Kildare County Council expressing their views and submissions are part of the public consultation process that accompanies any major development project.
Concern was also expressed that a traffic impact assessment was not carried out. TIAs examine the effect that a development will have on the immediate area.
Ms Fitzpatrick said traffic counts conducted on February 14 showed that a cumulative 427 vehicles used the ramps over a two and half hour period - when the schools were closed.