Safety issues highlighted at Athy train station
Athy Train Station Photo: Aisling Hyland
IMPROVEMENTS to Athy train station would be welcomed by the public after issues with lighting and road safety at the station were brought to the fore recently.
Cllr Aoife Breslin recently sought a road safety audit and the installation of public lighting on the roadway outside the train station “in the interest of safety”.
She highlighted the lack of a pedestrian crossing at the council-owned car park across the road from the station at a recent meeting of Athy Municipal District.
There is support amongst locals for these measures. A commuter who regularly uses the train station regularly to get to Dublin spoke to the how accessing the station was far from ideal. For them, the biggest issue is the dangerous route from the train station towards Leinster Street. They said the following:
“I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to walk up towards Lidl from the train station? That road there is dodgy out – driving as much as if you’re walking”.
They also added that turning for the train station when coming from the Dublin road end of town is dangerous, saying “if you didn’t know it (the turn) was coming you’d definitely crash the car”.
He added: “Getting to and from the train station is a bit lethal”
A local taxi driver added there is no designated pick up point for them to pull into, noting that there “does be a bit of mayhem” after people have gotten off the train. The driver added that it is not too much of an issue for them because they know a lot of the customers that they are collecting.
The issue of a lighting is also something that the Athy commuter has noticed.
“I could get how someone would feel unsafe at the train station. I wouldn’t want to be leaving anyone under the age of 18 to that train station at night."
The commuter noted that it’s not just improved lighting outside the train station which is needed but also along the platform for those waiting on trains in the dark.
A report issued in response to cllr Breslin at the meeting stated that there is no funding for new public lighting at the location. They added that staff from the public lighting section can meet with cllr Breslin on site and that any safety issues besides public lighting can be discussed with the municipal engineer.
Contacted for comment on the matter, Iarnród Éireann spokesperson Barry Kenny said “any such works are either on council land or the public roadway, so would be a matter for Kildare County Council.”
Alisdair Loughman, another commuter and a member of the Athy Transport Safety Campaign, wrote to the National Transport Authority and to TDs recently expressing his “profound dissatisfaction with the lack of progress and communication regarding the safety of the environs” at the train station.
In the letter, he pointed out his concerns which include the “inadequate public lighting” as well as concerns around pedestrian safety, traffic volume and anti-social behaviour, saying that “darkened approach areas and lack of CCTV coverage outside the Iarnród Éireann boundary increase the risk of incidents for late-night commuters”.
He is calling for a temporary pedestrian crossing, temporary flood lighting and emergency traffic calming measures to be implemented at the train station.
Cllr Mark Leigh of Athy told KFM radio last week that he is set to attend a meeting with council engineers at the train station this week. Mr Loughman wants that meeting to result in the implementation of these temporary measures.
The NTA told Mr Loughman last week that they are funding a programme which includes further improvements at the train station.
The project will include 80 additional car parking spaces, along with improved pedestrian, cycling and bus access routes “within the station boundary.”
However, the NTA added, that areas the railway boundary such as public lighting on approach roads, footpaths and crossing points are the responsibility of the county council.
Mr Loughman expressed his displeasure with the NTA’s announcement that they are a planning to implement an 80-space car park expansion, in the context of the issues for pedestrians and the council saying that there is no funding for lighting at the station.
