For those of you who get the jammed Luas in the morning, you may not believe this, but the green line still has not reached its maximum capacity just yet. But there’s a lot more coming fast and we need to adapt rapidly.

The TII estimates that, at peak travelling times, about 12,000 passengers use the Green Line every hour – up from about 11,000 in 2017. Peak hour travel is still chaotic, and the Luas is very unpleasant, at best, to get at these times. The Government recently announced that they will extend every Luas by 12m, making it the longest tram in the world. Let’s be real though it’s not a tram, it’s a light rail with some tram like elements in the city, e.g. crossing over roads and sharing lanes with buses.

In Project 2040, the Government announced their plans to turn the green line from Charlemont to Sandyford into a Metro, they also announced their intentions to extend the Luas from Brides Glen to Bray. All great ideas but we’re now starting to see the spin falling apart and the Government withdrawing its commitment on metro south. This announcement is hugely damaging to the scale of major residential projects like Dundrum Phase 2, Central Mental Hospital, Carrickmines, Sandyford, Cherrywood and even Fassaroe.

If we’re not getting a metro south anymore and we’re still planning on expanding the Luas to Bray, then we have to make improvements where we can improve services to adapt to these major projects. I believe we need the NTA to develop targeted alterations to where the Luas comes to junctions with roads and the Luas is held up due to traffic lights. By diverting traffic to alternative and sustainable routes, it will allow the Luas to ramp up capacity and deliver more trams at peak hours. The same argument is also very relevant to the DART and rail crossings in Dublin.

I believe if this methodology is followed throughout, we can slowly but surely develop a Luas line that delivers metro-like capacity at a fraction of the cost. It will deliver long term benefits to the people of North Wicklow and Bray, but also offer sustainable modes of transport rather than more and more lanes on the M11.

Monday, April 1^st 2019: I have stared an online petition calling on the Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan TD to give back the public access to Enniskerry Garda station. The Garda station is manned, but no-one from the public is allowed access it for basic state services.

In the petition I stated “The people of Enniskerry, Kilmacanogue, Curtlestown and surrounding areas no longer have public access to the Garda station in Enniskerry Village. This means that residents in the area have to travel to Bray, causing a major inconvenience for those with mobility issues and those who are not car owners to access the most basic state services, like getting forms stamped etc.”

“This is an absurd decision made by the Fine Gael Government, that sees active Gardaí on duty in the station, but no public access allowed. This puts extra pressure on Gardaí in Bray, who are already stretched to the limit. This is just a common-sense proposal and I would call on the Minister for Justice to re-open the station for public access as soon as possible.”

I have been very encouraged with the initial response and feedback and urged residents to sign the petition as many locals see this as the first step to the eventual closure of the station thereby increasing the risk of more crime in the area.

 

See Petition Here

Thursday, 28^th March 2019: Wicklow County Council has been urged to improve public safety at Kilmacanogue pond after two lifebuoys went missing. I have emailed Wicklow County Council’s CEO Frank Curran requesting immediate action.

In a statement to the local media I said “Kilmacanogue pond needs urgent attention by the County Council, not only to increase public safety, but to maximize its value in the community. To kick start this process, I’ve requested that Wicklow Council replace the two lifebuoys as it is a popular place for local children to play.”

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