Dundrum Village Mobility & Public Space Enhancement Update

News Type

Date

Tuesday, July 7, 2020

Location

Dundrum

Intro Text

Dedicated Cycle lanes, increased space for pedestrians, some bus stop and car parking relocations in this complex project

New enhancement works and mobility re-designs in Dundrum Village are part of the Councils ongoing programme of works to create safer, more accessible spaces in our village areas for people in our county. Works are expected to begin at the end of July and finish at the very end of August.

The design provides for a one-way flow for vehicular traffic and cyclists from Sandyford Road (near the Council ‘Don Marmion’ car park) northwards onto Main St. as far as the entrance to the lower or Lidl car park. At either end of Sandyford Road and Main St. the road remains two-way for vehicular traffic. The space resulting from the removal of a traffic lane and repositioning of parking spaces is being reallocated for the safety of pedestrians, through wider footpaths, and cyclists, by means of a new contra-flow facility. Kilmacud Road Upper will be made one-way also for vehicular traffic moving in an westerly direction. This change provides for wider footpaths and the introduction of a cycling contra-flow off Main St. and Sandyford Road, and onto Kilmacud Road Upper, for the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.

In making these critical safety interventions and introducing a one-way system for vehicular traffic in the core of the village, it will be necessary to implement changes to bus routes which will involve diversions for buses to complete southbound journeys on Main St. and Sandyford Road and installation of new bus stops on the Dundrum Bypass and Ballinteer Road. The northbound bus routes and stops will remain unchanged.

The proposed bus stops on the Dundrum Bypass will be fully accessible for those who are mobility-challenged, with accessible routes available to Main St., Dundrum Town Centre and close to the Wyckham Way Roundabout. In planning the proposed changes to bus routes and stops, we have worked closely with the National Transport Authority (NTA) and the public bus companies, so as to ensure that the adverse effects of the changes will be kept to a minimum. However, in order to provide the critical safety measures on Main St. and Sandyford Road and to reallocate space for the safety of pedestrians and cyclists, the alterations to the bus routes are deemed necessary.

The mobility interventions are being put in place on a temporary basis and we will use a dynamic design and build model to install measures and make changes and improvements as needed once measures are installed. We will work closely with the local community and businesses and other stakeholders as we do this. Works are expected to start in week beginning 27^th July 2020 and will take approximately 5 weeks to complete, with the reallocated pedestrian space and contra-flow cycle lanes measures implemented as soon as possible within the programme.

We have engaged with various stakeholders including the Gardaí, the NTA, the bus companies and local communities and businesses as part of the process of preparing these proposals. Whilst most of the stakeholders we have engaged with were positive about what we are proposing, not all were and we will engage further with stakeholders as the project proceeds.

We will also be implementing a significant set of interventions to promote safe and accessible mobility for pedestrians and cyclists and we are aiming to improve connections within the Council’s existing cycle network.

The contra-flow cycle lane, which will be dedicated to cyclists and protected, will be provided to allow southbound movement on the relevant sections of Main St. and Sandyford Road. Cyclists within the northbound one-way system will be moving in a calmed traffic lane and this will present a safer and attractive option for this journey. On the sections of Main St. and Sandyford Road that will remain two-way for traffic, cyclists will share a lane with traffic, however as this will no longer be a through route for traffic, the volume of cars moving through will be significantly reduced. This, again, will increase the safety and the attractiveness of the route for cyclists.
An short section of eastbound contra-flow cycle lane link will be provided on Kilmacud Road Upper, which will mean that vehicular traffic will no longer be able to pass through the junction in an eastbound direction. Eastbound vehicular traffic will be significantly reduced on the remainder of the road, past the Main St. junction, which will increase the safety and attractiveness of the route for eastbound cyclists, particularly for schoolchildren and students attending nearby Schools and educational facilities.
Protected cycle lanes will be provided on both sides of the road for the full length of the Dundrum Bypass, together with significant improvements at the junctions at either end. The two slip lanes at the roundabout with Wyckham Way will be closed and converted to bike lanes which will link up with the existing two-way cycle tracks on Wyckham Way. This will also be a positive safety measure for pedestrians as they will then need to cross only 2 lanes of vehicular traffic as opposed to 4 as this complex junction.
Additional bike parking will be provided at a number of locations along Main St. and Sandyford Road as part of the interventions.

News Details Main Slider

We will implement the changes on Main St./Sandyford Road/Kilmacud Road Upper over two phases:

Phase 1 – Installation of a system of light segregation using a layout of black, flexible bollards, secured to the surface and separating vehicular traffic from pedestrians and cyclists in the contra flow, whilst also adapting the current traffic signal settings and installing new signage and lining for the changed layout. We will then monitor the performance of the new temporary system over a short period of time and make improvements and adjustments, which we expect will be necessary given our accelerated work programme and the dynamic design process we are using. The initial design may be adapted as we navigate through the installation phases.
Phase 2 - Once we are satisfied with how the new system is working in practice, we will install the more substantial screw-down kerb separators between traffic and pedestrians/cyclists, as well as placing a contrasting layer (buff-coloured anti-skid) of surfacing in the pedestrian and contra-flow cycling areas. Planters and street furnishings will be added to the layout at the end of Phase 2.

* You can view 4 seperate map drawings showing bus stop rearrangments, cycle lane layout, one way systems and diversions in the Related Documents part of this webpage *

ReImagining our Public Realm for the benefit of all

This is also an opportunity to reimagine the use of public space in the setting of an attractive heritage village such as Dundrum. Placemaking and providing an attractive public space is integral to DLR’s approach and, in this heritage village setting, will be a core component of this set of interventions. The focal points for placemaking will be around the lower end of Main St., in the area around the Usher Monument, and in the area around the Catholic Church, further up on Main St.

Like in similar schemes we have underway, we will be incorporating planters and street furnishings to help make visiting, going to school or work, shopping and spending time Dundrum Village a safe and enjoyable experience for all. The expanded pedestrian zones will offer opportunities for businesses to use the public realm whilst ensuring safe physical distancing is adhered to. Relevant businesses like cafes, restaurants, pubs and shops will be able to avail of the Council’s recently-announced special free Covid-10 licence for tables and chairs in this new reallocated space. They can apply for those licences here: https://bit.ly/3im6iaB

This scheme promotes active mobility and supports the local economy and is being supported financially by the NTA. It is part of a wider programme of public realm and mobility interventions being carried out by DLR as part of our response to Covid-19.

Other Important Points to Note:

dlr’s design team is currently finalising a number of detailed design elements and will be engaging further with stakeholders including local business and communities, the Gardaí, NTA, bus companies
We have engaged with the parish priest at the Holy Cross Church in Dundrum and there will be further engagement to ensure that needs and concerns of the church are met particularly around funerals, other ceremonies and accessibility for those using the church and its facilities.
Access will still be facilitated from Main St. to the ‘Blue’ car park beside the church which is used by arrangement for church services.
While on-street parking will be repositioned from the east to the west side of Main St. to help facilitate these necessary changes, the majority of standard on-street car parking spaces will be retained with the incorporation of a further disability car parking space, 2 new hybrid loading bay/car parking spaces and 2 No. bike parking spaces, which will be installed at various locations along Main St. and Sandyford Road. There is no net loss of car parking, with a better distribution through the village and improved accessibility to assist persons with mobility challenges, businesses for loading/unloading and people cycling to the village.

There will be a shortening of the taxi rank at the Mill Pond to reallocate space for safe physical distancing for pedestrians.
The provision of segregated cycling infrastructure will support safe and sustainable transport and critically will provide dlr’s citizens, the travelling public, students and visitors with a safe and reliable means of travel so as to ensure that the current limited public transport capacity can be prioritised for essential workers, those needing to complete essential journeys and people who don’t have or can’t use an alternative to public transport.
There will be disruption while these essential works are being carried out but we will try to keep this to a minimum for residents, businesses and visitors, and we will be facilitating deliveries to retail premises during the periods when works are being carried out.
We will provide further notification to residents and businesses closer to the date on which works will start on site, informing them of what to expect.
One of the key constraints is the availability and delivery of the pre-formed traffic layout materials such as kerbs and bollards, as there is a significant demand world-wide for these materials at present, and so this may impact on the project programme if there are supply chain difficulties or delays.
There will be changes to signal controls at a number of junctions including at the Main St./Sandyford Road junction and at junctions along the Dundrum Bypass.
The right-turn slip lane on the Dundrum Bypass going northbound accessing the Lidl car park will be removed but traffic will still be able to turn right into the car park.
It is proposed to move the Electric Vehicle charge points on Main St. from their current location on the west side of the road to the opposite of the road in line with the changed parking layout, generally.
Diverted buses (i.e. those currently running southbound on Main Street) rerouted as follows:
- 44, 44B and 175 onto Dundrum Bypass
- 14A via Taney Road, Sydenham Road and Upper Kilmacud Road to Ballinteer Road
- 75 stays on Upper Kilmacud Road to Ballinteer Road
New bus stops on the Dundrum Bypass and on Ballinteer Road.
Reprofiling of the surface of the road at the junction of Upper Kilmacud Road/ Ballinteer Road through Dundrum Cross and minor realignment of the Upper Kilmacud Road / Sydenham Road junction to facilitate turning buses.
There will be a shortening of the taxi rank at the Mill Pond to reallocate space for safe physical distancing for pedestrians.

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council are continually assessing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and identifying public realm and mobility interventions needed to safely reopen our county. This set of critical temporary mobility interventions in Dundrum is being proposed in response to Covid-19 to facilitate safe physical distancing for pedestrians and cyclists, to encourage active and sustainable mobility and support local businesses reopening. This is in line with current Government public health advice where people are advised to walk or cycle if they can and to avoid using public transport unless they need to. Specifically, these measures are aligned with Government advice under the Interim Advice Note on Covid-19 to the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMURS), which requires local authorities to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic so as take ‘immediate steps’ to create an ‘environment that is safe and welcoming in support of communities and the reopening of business’.