Arising from a very well attended AGM recently, the committee of GADRA were mandated to petition local stakeholders on the issue of the pilot traffic calming measures at the end of Walsh Road / Ferguson Road.
Arising from a very well attended AGM recently, the committee of GADRA were mandated to petition local stakeholders on the issue of the pilot traffic calming measures at the end of Walsh Road / Ferguson Road.
The response has been resounding with > 1,700 people supporting the call to suspend or terminate the program. This, is spite a number of attempts to frustrate the petition, one of which is currently under investigation by the Gardai.
Many people have asked about the next steps. Our plan is to request a meeting with the Lord Mayor of Dublin to present him with the views of the vast majority of people who have a real interest in this matter. Before doing so, we asked each of our local councillors to lend their support to this petition and advised them that we had been requested to keep our membership appraised. Prior to requesting their support we did advise each of the councillors that c.1,700 people had signed the petition.
The list below summarises the support / lack of support from our councillors at the time of posting:-
Mary Fitzpatrick – Fully supports GADRA petition and has emailed Owen Keegan on our behalf (see here)
Cllr Paul McAuliffe – Fully supports GADRA position and has lodged emergency motion to council to halt trial immediately
Minister Paschal Donohoe – met with members of GADRA committee and has promised to contact DCC and Gardai in relation to local issues and will meet with GADRA again 24/11/17
Cllr Gary Gannon – Fully supports GADRA petition
Cllr Deirdre Heany – Fully supports GADRA petition
Maureen O’Sullivan TD – Awaiting outcome of trial
Cllr Aine Clancy – Did not respond
Joe Costello – Did not respond
Cllr Andrew Montague – Supports trial and road closure
Cllr Noeleen Reilly – Did not respond
Cllr Cathleen Carney Boud & Dessie Ellis TD – Supports trial but awaiting report(?) on process
Mary Lou McDonald TD – Supports trial but awaiting report(?) on process
Roisin Shortall TD – Awaiting 6 month report despite fact that trial is nine months duration. Says had no involvement despite being present at original meeting and supporting Walsh Road Traffic Action Group
Cllr Ciaran Cuffe – Awaiting outcome of trial
Cllr Christy Burke – Awaiting traffic report
Cllr Norma Salmon – Did not respond
Cllr Nial Ring – Did not respond
Cllr Janice Boylan – Did not respond
Cllr Gaye Fagan – Did not respond
Cllr Eilis Ryan – Did not respond
Cllr Jane Horgan Jones – Did not respond
Cllr Sean Paul McMahon – Did not respond
Cllr Andrew Keegan – Supports trial and road closure
Cllr Ray McAdam – Feels as he will have to vote on outcome of trial it is not appropriate to sign
Noel Rock TD – Did not respond
We will now be requesting a meeting with the Lord Mayor and working with the Councillors who have been supportive to push for the withdrawal of this pilot.
The committee is concerned that although the vast majority of local stakeholders are against the current layout and the impact it has had on the wider area, Dublin City Council for some inexplicable reason seem determined to persist with this. We are very conscious that most people would like to see some compromise solution put in place because there is a strongly held view that this has been very divisive in the manner that it has come about.