Safety barrier ruled out at this Kildare pedestrian gate

Kildare County Council has ruled out providing a safety barrier at the pedestrian gate at the Mill, English Row, Celbridge, Co Kildare, but has agreed to carry out an assessment at the location.

At a recent Celbridge Leixlip Municipal District meeting, Cllr David Trost (FF) motioned: “That the council provides a safety barrier at the front of the path for pedestrians exiting the pedestrian gate at the Mill, English Row, Celbridge to slow down the pace of the high volume of pedestrians crossing the road as they exit the centre on to a busy road.”

Noting the council's response, Cllr Trost said nevertheless this was a matter he felt needed to be addressed, and he welcomed the fact that the municipal district engineer is due to carry out an assessment of the location to see if any measures are required.

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Cllr Trost explained that the area in question is a narrow road which is heavily pedestrianised when certain events are being held in the Mill, or sporting events “and so forth.”

He said a lot of people exit out on foot onto a narrow path and a very busy road joining it.

Cllr Trost said the problem required careful consideration, and if a barrier were not implemented at the location, something was required to prevent people “dashing out” onto the pavement and the very busy road.

“It's an accident waiting to happen, unfortunately”, he said, as the volume of traffic was steadily increasing as well as the flow of pedestrians.

A report issued by the local authority stated: “Pedestrian barriers are no longer recommended along the edge of roads as they can lead to a conflict zone for cyclists and traffic. The Municipal District Engineer will carry out an assessment of this location to see if any measures are required.”