Proposed Front-of-School Works at Assumption Schools on Walkinstown Parade and Kilnamamagh Road

Overview

Proposed Front -Of-School Works Assumption Schools Walkinstown Parade and Kilnamanagh Road.

On December 1 st  2022 Dublin City Council initiated  Front-of-School works to improve the safety of students and vulnerable road users accessing and exiting schools on Walkinstown Parade and Kilnamanagh Road, Walkinstown, Dublin12.

This Front-of-School works which includes a School Zone will be delivered by Dublin City Council and funded by the National Transport Authority as part of the accelerated  Safe Routes to School under the Government’s Pathfinder Programme.  

School Zones are used globally to tackle the safety of students outside schools due to increased school traffic. They are areas which are designed to give more priority of space to students and vulnerable road users.   

The schools covered by the proposed works include

• The Assumption Junior National School;
• The Assumption Senior Girls National School;
• The Assumption Secondary School.

Safety concerns relating to traffic have been identified by all schools.

The Assumption Junior and Senior Girls National Schools applied for a School Zone (2020) and the Safe Route To School Programme (2021). 

When will the works happen and what do they aim to achieve?  

The works will be delivered in two phases from late 2022 and during 2023.

Phase 1 Proposed Instalment Late 2022  

Will consist of

• Bollards on the footpaths to stop cars mounting, parking and driving on the paths.
• Yellow pencils bollards at the school gates indicating the presence of the school.  
• Black bollards with white reflective top on footpaths. 

• Low level timber fencing on the green verges adjacent to the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary to stop vehicles parking on the verge which is causing congestion and reduced road visibility. Congestion is worse when vehicles park on both side of the road. ( Jan 2023)  

• Colourful road markings consisting of yellow and red circles painted on the road directly at school entrances.

• Current road line markings and vertical signs will be refreshed as needed.
• A School Zone road surface sign painted at entry points where Walkinstown Parade meets Long Mile Road and where Kilnamanagh Road meets Walkinstown Road. The School Zone gateway signs demarcate a stretch of road where students need to be given priority of space.

• All of colourful road markings and the pencil shaped bollards will raise awareness of the presence of the schools. They will mark out an area where parents and guardians will be encouraged by the school not to collect or drop off students. This will give students increased space to move safely in and out of school while walking, cycling or scooting or wheeling. All vulnerable road users will benefit from this space.   

Phase 2 Proposed Installation 2023

Will consist of:  

• Two 10m wide ramps at the either side to the School Zone. Ramp one coming in from Walkinstown Parade ramp two from Kilnamanagh Road. Their aim is to prevent vehicles speeding.

• School warden crossing points outside both the Assumption Junior National School and the Senior Girls National School will be relocated to positions a small distance from their current location. These have been identified by the wardens as crossing points which are safer and more convenient for children to cross.

• Buff coloured blister tactile pavement will be inserted on kerbsides, warden crossings and junction crossing points. This type of paving prevents trips and slips. It is more user friendly for people with mobility and visual impairment needs.

• At two junctions near the Assumption National  Schools the angle of corners of the junctions will be reduced by building out the footpath.
• This will reduce the speed of cars coming into the area by forcing them to slow down taking the corner. These crossing points will be fitted with the buff coloured blister tactile pavement inserts and will have bollards at the edges to prevent vehicles using them as parking areas. The buildouts will also give more space for people waiting to cross.

What are the Traffic related safety concerns raised by at the Assumption schools?

Traffic related safety concerns have been reported and observed by DCC School Warden Service, DCC Parking Enforcement and DCC School Mobility. 

The School Community have documented them in reports compiled as part of the Safe Routes to School Parent Travel Survey and Parents Comments. 

The following are the main traffic related issues at school times that are causing concern

• Vehicular parking on all the footpaths and green verges on both sides of the roads where the Assumption schools are located. This is reducing the line of sight of oncoming traffic for the children and school wardens;

• Driving on the inner footpath adjacent to the church railings to bypass the congestion on the road;

• Vehicles reversing and doing U- turns which is a risk to people crossing the road;

• Vehicular parking fully on footpath at warden crossing  near the Junior National School forcing pedestrians off the footpaths on to the road;

• Drivers travel at speed outside the schools when school traffic finishes or when there is less congestion;   

• Blocking entrances to the Church and residences;

• Stopping in the middle of the road to drop students off.

Purpose of the Front-of-School works including the School Zone

To:

• Give priority to students at the school gate by freeing up footpaths;
• Reduce vehicle drop-offs, pick-ups and idling;
• Reduce congestion;
• Increase safety;
• Prioritise active travel (walking and cycling) to and from school;
• Encourage slow, safe driving in the area of the school;
• Promote considerate parking;
• Reduce pollution and improve air quality and noise quality by reducing volume of traffic at schools and vehicles with engines idling.

For the front-of-school treatment to work effectively parents who need to drive need to be willing to change their drop off and pick up habits. Parents and guardians will be encouraged not to collect and drop off within the School Zone. The gateway road surface markings labelled “School Zone” act as a guide for drivers for the area where they should not drop off or collect in. They should park respectfully and legally outside of the School Zone by not blocking other entrances, mounting footpaths or double parking.

School Zones signal a school’s ethos that active travel is the preferred mode of travel to the school.

The results of the Green Schools Parent Travel Survey for the Assumption Senior School indicate that most students are travelling within a 1km radius of the School using walking or car as their mode of transport.

By making a priority space for students at schools it is intended to promote walking and cycling and reduce the car journeys to school. This is aligned to National Sustainability Mobility Policy which sets out Ireland’s requirement to achieve 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 in the transport sector under national climate action commitment.

Benefits of Active Travel:

• Walking, cycling and scooting improve our physical health, mental health and well-being
• Children who walk, scoot and cycle to school have increased concentration levels at school
• Promotes independence for children
• An Taisce Green Schools surveys report that children prefer to walk, cycle and scoot to school
• Quality time spent with family and friends on the journey to school
• A way of taking Climate Action

Design documents and supporting information:

Please see the design documents at the end of this page.

All the drawings are available to view in hard copy poster form at the schools from 6th December 2022.

Email:  SUSTAINABLEMOBILITY@dublincity.ie (with SCHOOL ZONES – ASSUMPTION SCHOOLS in the subject bar).

Project Postal Address: School Mobility Programme - City Transports Projects, Block 2, Floor 7, Civic Offices, Wood Quay, Dublin 8, Ireland, D08 RF3F.

Documents including detailed designs can be viewed online on Dublin City Consultations  on https://consultation.dublincity.ie/

on a list of public consultations under Proposed Front -Of-School Works Assumption Schools Walkinstown Parade and Kilnamanagh Road

Phone: Customer Services Desk 222 2222  

What happens next

 Installation will be scheduled from December 1st  2022 for Phase 1 and during 2023 for Phase 2 by the City Transport Projects, Environment and Transportation Department, Dublin City Council.