Naas-Sallins canal bank finally closed to cars 

After 30 years of discussion, Kildare County Council has finally decided to close the canal bank from Abbey Bridge in Naas to Osberstown, just south of Sallins, to vehicular traffic, but chose to defer the closure of the other side – known as the Ramp, towards Kerdiffstown – until a further traffic study was completed.

This was ratified at a special meeting of the Naas Municipal District last week, despite there being 135 letters of disagreement – and only one in favour - from the general public.

The meeting was called to ratify S38 Road Traffic Act 1994, “where a local authority may, in the interest of the safety and convenience of road users, provide such traffic calming measures as they consider desirable in respect of public roads in their charge”.

“The scheme is proposed as a high-quality segregated cycle and walking facility linking Naas and Sallins,” said Celina Barrett, Acting Director of Services at the Roads Section.

“Whilst local vehicular access for property owners will be maintained, the scheme seeks to minimise conflict between pedestrian and cycle traffic and vehicular traffic. Without significant, and cost-prohibitive land acquisition, it would not be possible to provide such a scheme along with a facility for vehicular traffic between Tandys Bridge and Sallins.

“The scheme would therefore not achieve its objective of providing a dedicated pedestrian/cycle facility between Naas and Sallins and therefore an alternative option of maintaining vehicular traffic on one side of the canal has been discounted.Vehicular access to the existing Leinster Mills Café is to be maintained from Osberstown Road.

“I am very supportive of this, and have been promoting this with the Naas Greenway Group since before I was a councillor, I saw this as a perfect route between our towns,” said Cllr Bill Clear.

“There are 2,500kms of roads in Kildare and we’re just taking two,” he said, with regard to the protests.

“Nobody is being blocked from going anywhere, and this has been on the LAP [Local Area Plan for Naas] since 2013,” he added.

His colleague Cllr Seamie Moore confirmed: “it’s always been an objective of the Council’s to remove vehicular traffic off this road ever since I was first elected to the Town Council 30 years ago, loads of people in Sallins and Monread use it as a rat run”.

“This is all about getting children to school walking, cycling or scooting,” said Cllr Clear.

“People driving their kids to school every day are afraid to let them cycle because they think it’s too dangerous. (Statistically, road deaths in Ireland in 2020 are one-quarter what they were in 1980 [581 down to 146]).

“Really, this stretch of the Canal is like a linear park between Sallins and Naas, especially with the deBurgh Gardens opening up soon,” said Cllr Clear.

“This meeting was letting us know the Council was doing something very controversial,” said Cllr Moore.

“The area in question is known locally as The Ramp, and I had proposed a trial closure for 12 months, but Roads [Section] didn’t go for that.

“The members of the MD [Municipal District] gave the go-ahead before the election to go ahead and close it, however, at this week’s meeting they told us they won’t close it immediately, as they need to do more surveys, more observations, for when they’re back at school. I believe closure of this canal bank would be problematic until this junction gets traffic lights,” asserted Cllr Moore.

“I came away from that meeting mostly a happy camper because not closing The Ramp is the correct decision until proper traffic management is in place,” said Sallins native Cllr Carmel Kelly.