Traffic and Road Safety: Holy Cross National School, Kilmacud Rd Upper, Dundrum, Dublin 14, Safe Routes to School, "School Zone"

Overview

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is working with the National Transport Authority (NTA) to deliver their “Safe Routes to School” (SRTS) Programme, the aim of which is to improve safety at school entrances, improve access routes to schools and encourage as many pupils as possible in primary and post-primary schools to walk and cycle.

The SRTS Programme includes the delivery of “School Zones” consisting of public realm upgrades outside schools which will:

• Reduce vehicular congestion at school gates.
• Encourage drivers to slow down in the vicinity of a school.
• Reduce vehicle drop-offs, pick-ups and vehicles idling at school gates.
• Highlight the presence of schools and their vulnerable road users.
• Provide public with cleaner air, safer streets, and more vibrant and inclusive public spaces.

As part of this Programme it is proposed to deliver a “School Zone”, public realm upgrades outside Holy Cross National School in Dundrum.

What is proposed at Holy Cross National School, Dundrum?

A Parent Survey carried out in 2021 indicated that 94.4% of the parents of children in Holy Cross National School support works at the front of school that improve student safety and put pedestrians and cyclists first.

Holy Cross National School has two entrances, one at Kilmacud Road Upper and one via the public car park on Sandyford Road. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has developed proposals for public realm upgrades at both these locations. Details of the proposals are outlined in the document accompanying this notice.

The proposals include:

• Traffic calming in front of the school.
• Highlighting the presence of the school through carriageway colour and coloured road markings, feature bollards and traffic signage.
• Provision of additional raised pedestrian crossings.
• Provision of enhanced pedestrian space at the school entrance including new biodiverse soft landscaping and tree planting.
• Provision of a defined pedestrian route through the Sandyford Road car park from Sandyford Road to the school entrance gate.

The design features will be consistent with those proposed nationally under the NTA Safe Routes to School Programme.

Why your views matter

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is seeking views from the public to help inform the proposed design. A Non-Statutory Public Consultation is being held on the proposals from 4^th August to 1^st September 2022 (4 weeks).

Submissions and observations can be made via e-mail to info@dlrcoco.ie or by logging onto www.dlrcoco.ie and visiting the Public Consultation Hub.  Observations should be clearly marked ‘Holy Cross National School, Dundrum, SRTS, School Zone.'

The closing date for receipt of submissions is 1^st September 2022 at 12 noon.

What happens next

Further to this Non-Statutory Public Consultation, a report will be brought back to the Dundrum Area Committee meeting in the Autumn 2022.