Parking motorists 'risking pedestrian safety'

Motorists parking on either side of the pedestrian crossing from Cross and Passion College are the main 'risk to pedestrian safety', councillors heard at the recent meeting of the Kildare-Newbridge MD, writes Brian Byrne. The comment was in a report from officials on a motion by Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer to upgrade the crossing to a push-button system.

Saying she was in complete agreement with the comment, Cllr O'Dwyer noted this was why she had previously asked for a bollard and extra double yellow lines at the crossing, which she hoped would be provided in 2026. But she said the bigger issue is traffic management at this location. "In the absence of a push-button stop, pedestrians cross at their leisure, which requires vehicles to continue to stop/start, and this leads to a backlog of traffic along this busy road," she told the meeting. "Whenever there is an accident on the motorway or any other incident at the traffic lights junction, a guard has to stand at this crossing to keep traffic moving and allow time for the number of pedestrians crossing to build up and then cross together." 

She added that it is not a good use of Garda time to be standing at a crossing directing traffic when they could actually be needed at the incident. "And in the absence of a guard, this leads to huge tailbacks from Kilcullen back out the Athy Road."

Officials said there is no funding available at present to carry out this work, but that location will be considered should funding become available. Cllr O'Dwyer said the project can be discussed in the review of the works programme for 2026. 

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