Traffic Management in Sallins
Submitted: James Lawless
Date: 10th March, 2008
Table of Contents
1. Background 3
2. Kerdiffstown Road and Canal View 4
3. Main Street and Canal Bridge 6
4. Longer Term Solutions 7
1. Background
Sallins village has grown rapidly in recent years and the village infrastructure has been under strain for some time. Traffic flows in and around the village currently struggle to cope with the volume of demand. Ironically in some cases the situation has been worsened by recent changes. In particular I am concerned that certain emerging flows create an increased risk of road accident.
This document highlights current issues with suggestions for improvement where practicable. It is also expected the relevant planners, now cognisant of the problem can propose solutions based upon their professional knowledge and experience of simliar situations.
2. Kerdiffstown Road and Canal View
Canal view and the Kerdiffstown road in particular come under strain as traffic to school, church and N7 motorway must use the same narrow egress.
Current difficulties are illustrated in the below diagram.
Traffic flows in the diagram are illustrated with block arrows. The area covered is the block between the canal, church and railway station.
These routes are heavily used by traffic for school, church and access to N7 motorway. A one-way system is currently in force around the canal bridge area.
Whilst the streets were always busy and occasionally congested, the situation has been worsened by recent creation of parking spaces as shown in diagram as purple boxes. Whilst being sympathetic to the need for extra parking in the village centre, at points 3 & 4 in above diagram, the parking spaces have resulted in narrowing the carriageway to the point where only one car can pass at a time. This has the unintentional effect of creating a de facto one way street.
This in turn means that traffic wishing to turn right along the canal from the main street must travel up onto the canal bridge and take a right turn across a lane of oncoming traffic and down the ramp off canal bridge (point 1 in above diagram). Due to the humpback bridge this is effectively a blind turn and in my view is highly dangerous.
I would be most concerned that an accident may occur if this practice continues without appropriate traffic management measures in place. Much of this is school traffic with young children being brought to school. Also commuters use this path to access the motorway in mornings.
Traffic coming from the Kerdiffstown road into the village theoretically has the option of joining the main street at point 2 however this is a very narrow corner junction and is in no way suitable as a primary traffic corridor.
Options may include removal or some, all, or at minimum the corner parking space (point 3 in diagram) from the street to allow two-way traffic use it again and remove the need for blind right turns at the bridge.
Another option would be to introduce some form of signalling or warning system into affect for traffic turning right at bridge. Perhaps even a raised mirror would help the situation in the short term.
In summary at busy times, including school run, morning and evening rush hour and mass times, traffic is blocked entering at bookmakers/pub junction and must instead use the blind right turn which is highly dangerous.
Having described the problem I leave the solution to the discretion of the engineers. However I believe even short term measures need to be introduced without delay.
3. Main Street and Canal Bridge
Traffic volumes along the main street are magnified by vehicles using the village as a rat run between the N7 and N4 motorways.
The current canal bridge can also be hazardous for pedestrians due to narrow footpath on one side and no footpath on other.
Pedestrian traffic from the Osberstown side of the village has no footpath to cross the bridge on that side. Whilst it is possible to cross at the traffic lights, it is necessary then to recross the main road further down the village in order to cross back onto that side. Access to the canal is thereby impaired for walkers, people with buggies or in wheelchairs.
Provision of a pedestrian foot bridge on one or both sides of canal bridge could address this hazard whilst ehancing the aesthetic character of the bridge (ala Newbridge footbridge across Liffey) .
4. Longer Term Solutions
It is hoped the Sallins bypass will take a major volume of traffic off the village streets and address some of the current difficulties. However internal village traffic accessing school, train station, church and motorways will still intersect and conflict at key points.
One way system with new canal bridge
One longer term solution to manage traffic flows around the village is the creation of a one way system as illustrated in below diagram:
The solution above would require construction of an extra bridge across canal and is understood to be a longer term solution. However it may be the best long term approach.
Traffic flows in above diagram are indicative as is exact location of new bridge, many permutations on above theme would probably work in practice.
Parish Development
The Parish Development proposals also involve changes to traffic flows around the church block and surrounds which I support. This measures outlined in this document are viewed as complementary to the parish development project.
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James Lawless; 086 834 8869; ; http:\\jameslawless.ie