Safety audit for controversial Kildare cycle path shows litany of flaws 

A LITANY of design issues have been reported on the €2 Million ‘Road to Nowhere’ pilot project, following the release of an independent road safety audit.

The Moone-Timolin road, which was updated with a cycle track under the National Cycle Network Road Space Re-Allocation Pilot Scheme, has seen community protests from the outset, with motorists noting unsafe road conditions, and cyclists outright refusing to use the cycle lanes.

The audit highlighted issues on the R448 such as wide carriageways which facilitate high speeds; inconspicuous gateways, traffic islands and kerbs; inconsistent speed limit information; insufficient drainage and unclear signage to name a few.

The Stage 3 Road Safety Audit, was commissioned by AECOM on behalf of Kildare County Council and carried out by Roadplan Consulting, examined the 3.5km scheme. Auditors inspected the route by day and night and reviewed its design.

The document contains a total of 24 problems and suggested remedies with the road design in its current conditions.

The auditors wrote: “All problems described in this report are considered by the audit team to require action in order to improve the safety of the scheme and minimise accident occurrence.”

The design team accepted most of the audit’s recommendations, but rejected a small number, proposing alternative measures instead.

Auditors accepted these alternative measures that were put forward.

The report recommended additional islands, reduced hard strip widths, more vertical features and repositioning of modular islands to visually narrow the road and slow traffic.

The design team rejected parts of this recommendation. Instead, they proposed installing additional flexible bollards along the route, monitoring vehicle speeds after completion, considering further measures if needed after post-construction monitoring, and not repositioning modular islands at this stage.

They also noted that Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) is seeking to reduce the speed limit along the scheme to 80 km/h.

The report also recommended narrowing access gaps and reducing the extent of red surfacing across entrances.

Designers rejected this, stating that many accesses are agricultural and must accommodate large machinery, the route is used by Local Link services requiring set-down space, and changes could create operational difficulties.

They said the issue will instead be reviewed during post-completion monitoring.

Auditors also recommended redesigning a ramp feature within the cycle track area, but the design team responded that no ramp was included in the approved design and said the contractor will be instructed to remove it.

It still remains the position of local group Moone Timolin Positive Action Group that the scheme is a “complete waste of tax payers money” and that the road should be returned to its former state.

“We are now calling for the whole thing to be taken out,” said Mark Hilliard, chairperson of Moone Timolin Positive Action Group.

“We have reported 80 incidents including hospitalisation, car write-offs and varying degrees of damage.”

The report completely indicates everything we have been saying since before the project started.”

He continued: “When the project was first mooted we said it was a waste of money. We thought that no one could conceivably allow it to continue. It got jammed down our throat with no consultation.

“When it started we told them it was dangerous. It continued and we told them it was dangerous.

We have reported 80 incidents proving it is dangerous. The guards have told us its dangerous. The independent report has told the country it is dangerous. Guess what lads, it’s dangerous. Take it out,” said Mr Hilliard.

Kildare County Council confirmed that it has reviewed the audit in respect of the NCN Pilot Scheme on the R448 and that additional works will be carried out on foot of the audit in consultation with TII. However, no distinct timeframe was outlined. Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) was also contacted for comment, but did not respond by the time of publication.