How we navigate our community defines its character. That’s why I’m committed to bringing walking, cycling, and public transport improvements to every corner of Killiney-Shankill.
Below are my ideas on how to do it.
Pedestrian priority
Pedestrians are forced to wait for passing traffic, with little time given to cross at lights. I will seek to extend pedestrian crossing times, make pedestrian crossing more frequent, and install more pedestrian lights.
I am also working to install zebra crossings at smaller junctions; these give pedestrians the right of way over traffic. When I joined the council in January 2024, there were no plans to install zebra crossings anywhere in Killiney-Shankill. With the help of residents I’ve identified about a dozen locations so far that the council is considering for new zebra crossings.
I’ve seen them work well in Brussels, where they are on virtually every street corner. National regulations for their installation changed in 2024, which makes them much cheaper and easier to install – we should seize the opportunity.
I would also support more pedestrianisation and play streets across the county, like the recently finished Myrtle Square and Convent Lane in Dun Laoghaire, and identify other opportunities to increase footpath space across Killiney-Shankill.
Safe cycling
Cycling should be a safe option for anyone who wants to take it up. I have pushed hard for safe cycling infrastructure in the last five years and will continue to do so this term.
Safe cycle lanes allow people of all ages to get on their bikes. Dublin needs to move away from bits of cycle lane here and there to a real, connected network of safe cycle routes. Thanks to national funding, there is now real ambition to do this: the city council has a plan to go from the current 10km of segregated bike lanes to 310km.
I fully back this kind of ambition. I’ve seen first hand how much pressure there is against cycling infrastructure: to make any progress, we need to elect councillors who will stand up strongly for it.
Safe cycling also means somewhere to store bikes and making sure new developments are built with secure, sheltered spaces for bikes. I want to help residents in older housing estates identify spaces for bike bunkers too–particularly in terraced housing.
Improve public transport
Councillors don’t have direct control over public transport, but we do have a say in how road space is allocated. I would give buses and the Luas extra priority at junctions, and give buses more priority on our streets, mainly by expanding the network of bus lanes.
Unreliability and delay in the bus network is primarily caused by buses getting stuck in car traffic. With a proper network of bus lanes, we can reduce the uncertainty and speed up travel times.
Bike sharing services like Bolt also provide a useful part of our public transport network. I will make the case to expand the network of stations to those parts of the county which don’t have the service.
Improving accessibility
Much of our public space is still a hostile for people with disabilities. Better public transport will help some people, as will lower-stress cycling and walking routes. But we need to ensure that infrastructure for pedestrians remains so: bringing in new wardens to stop footpath parking would be a major step to make streets easier to navigate for wheelchair users, people with buggies, people with visual impairments, and those with other disabilites.
For blue badge holders, the council should expand the network of disabled parking spaces, and ensure that they are designed to guarantee sufficient space for access.
Taming the traffic
Traffic congestion ruins streets and wastes people’s time. We need to shift traffic away from residential streets and give people real alternative options to the car.
At our last full council meeting of the term, we approved the new 30kph speed limits for most streets in the county. This will prevents crashes and make walking, cycling and waiting for a bus more appealing. This departure from a car dominated transport system will empower us to build more housing as fears about traffic congestion and parking is the number one reason for local opposition to badly needed housing.
Finally, I think the trialing of “car free days” in places like Ballybrack and Shankill would be a great way to bring people into our villages and showcase their potential. I saw first-hand how well they work at the Dalkey Lobster Festival and would love to try one at least one Sunday a year in my ward.
Electric charging
Charging electric cars is particular challenge for those who live in terraced housing without front drives, or in apartments without parking. The four Dublin councils have a plan to deal with this (you can read it here), but the rollout has been hopelessly slow. I would continue to push to have this public side of the charging network rolled out as quickly as possible.