Residents of 'choked' estate facing road delay
RESIDENTS of a Swords estate, which is being choked by traffic on a daily basis, are fearing for their safety and have called on the council to take action.
Motorists are regularly using the Holywell development as a shortcut, with traffic coming to and from the M1, as well as Airside and Kinsealy, cutting through the residential area. At the same time, cars continually speed through the estate, which has no signage in place, despite the main through road being taken over by the council last October. And with a new neighbourhood centre and school set to open shortly, residents have said the situation will deteriorate, while a long-running dispute over land ownership is preventing a relief road from being completed.
'The traffic is heavy every single day - during the morning, evening and even lunchtime, it's constant,' Holywell residents association chair, Maurice Cunningham said. 'There is a complete lack of road signage, particularly speed signs. Cars are speeding within the estate and street lights and hazard signs have been taken out as a result.
'It's a big road safety issue. I've spoken to parents with kids who are wary of the cars speeding and they are concerned for their safety. These are long-standing issues and they're coming to a head because the neighbourhood centre, school and bus stops are all coming along. 'It is only going to get worse. Fingal County Council need to take responsibility for the safety of road users and residents.' To compound matters, a vital outer relief road cannot be completed due to a disagreement over a plot of land owned by different developers.
A council spokesperson said the estate's internal link road and distributor road were taken in charge in October 2009, while a roundabout, which had impeded the provision of a full bus service through the area, had been replaced with a priority junction. 'Road signage and lining will be installed on the part of the road in the charge of the council,' the spokesperson said. ' Remaining roads in Holywell are not in charge, but the full and satisfactory completion of the development - including signing, lining and completion of all junctions - will be pursued by the council with the developer as part of the taking-in-charge process.'
