In response to Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council's consultation on the DLR Connector Scheme ( dlr Connector : Non-Statutory Public Consultation - Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council - Citizen Space ), I give my thoughts on how it might be enhanced to guide positive development of the area.
Im very supportive of the proposals put forward by the design team for Barton Road East, in terms of the grade separation for cyclists, and the recommendation of application of Dutch style roundabouts. In particular, the move away from signalised junctions is to be applauded, as anecdotal evidence from my travelling up & down BRE frequently I can see that signals are often ignored, by motorists & pedestrians alike.
Some thoughts to consider as a pro-active travel resident of DLR:
- suggest including space for a lay-by, such as at between 170 BRE & Sweetmount Drive, to facilitate speed vans. A local WeCount Telraam sensor suggests ~15% of motorists exceed the 50kmh speed limit, which is unacceptable https://telraam.net/en/location/9000004034
- the 3m vehicle carriageway target is pragmatic, and works well as seen in a comparable scheme on Dodder View Road - particularly to reduce vehicle speed. Suggest keeping this 3m as an upper limit for the carriageway, and not exceeding it if the road widens, and any additional width be used for grass in lieu, so as to maintain the speed reduction imperative
- at the junction between Barton Road East & Sweetmount Drive, the raised crossing is welcome, however from using it frequently I see vehicles queueing on the pedestrian crossing. Suggest setting the cycle lane in the design further North to allow a car queue to join Barton Road East without having it's rearwheels on the cycleway. Similar situation at Ailesbury Grove, Marley Court North etc.
- There are many green areas introduced as a result of this intervention, which is welcome. So that we can create not just a conveyance but a place, would it be possible to include occasional benches with bins for people to stop and chat? Potential locations Broadford Road / Nutgrove Way / Barton Road junction, Barton Road East with Ballinteer Road junction, or a particular area which could be popular if well managed could be at junction of Barton Road East with Beaumont Avenue
- Looking at the cross section of Barton Road East, there will be a loss of informal vehicle parking in front of driveways necessitated by widening of the space allocation for cycle tracks. Comparing the as-built situation, it will go from 5.2m length to 4.4m
This will be met with dismay by some residents who have shaped their lives on the presumption of multiple vehicles per household, and may not wish to facilitate their own parking needs in their front gardens.
To accommodate these residents in some manner, would it be possible to not upgrade the footpaths from 1.8m to 2m - in practical terms, I find that the footpaths currently are less than 1.8m due to overgrowth of the grass, so space can be gained back with simple maintenance.
- at the junction from Barton Road East, west bound, turning right to Beaumont Avenue, I note reduction of a turning right lane (which I welcome). To prevent undercutting by those motorists who are heading westward, suggest bollarding or similar delineation to prevent them undercutting onto the footpath there beside the cycletrack
