Sandymount Traffic Issues In Focus At SEAC Meeting
The general approach to dealing with a plethora of issues in Sandymount was discussed at the May meeting of the DCC South East Area Committee (SEAC).
Cllr Claire O’Connor (FF) spoke of the need to find a solution for the junction of Tritonville Road and Newbridge Avenue, where she said there is a high frequency of accidents. She suggested the situation could be remedied easily by putting a roundabout at the junction, to replace what she called “this kind of odd island that cars get stuck on.” Cllr Lacey (LAB) agreed with Cllr O’Connor and said he himself had heard of one such accident and witnessed another in the previous week alone.

Neil O’Donoghue (Senior Engineer DCC) acknowledged that the island is constantly getting hit by vehicles and said the council will have to have a look at it. He suggested that putting a roundabout there might actually encourage an increase in traffic volume on Tritonville Road but agreed to see what can be done. Cllr O’Connor disagreed with this assertion, saying that “you couldn’t attract more traffic to an area that is already at a standstill.” She said that if, as O’Donoghue admitted, the “D-Island“ there is being hit by vehicles, that there should be some way to expeditiously find a solution.
Summer Traffic Calming On Sandymount Green
The SEAC welcomed a report from DCC Area manager, Brian Hanney on the proposed traffific calming at Sandymount Green for the Summer of 2023.

Under the plan, the east side of Sandymount Green will be closed to traffic on the weekends. Additionally businesses will be allowed to place tables and chairs on the parking bays from Friday to Sunday. These will have to be removed Monday-Thursday, when the east side of the green will be open. Hanney’s report gave assurances that no planters will be placed around the parking bays, in order to ensure that local residents and customers of businesses on the green will have full access to the spaces during the week. The South East Area Office is to arrange for additional planters and musical entertainment at the weekends, with Waste Management providing enhanced cleaning at the weekends too.
Cllr James Geoghegan (FG) and Cllr Paddy McCartan (FG) both welcomed the measures and praised the engagement and cooperation with residents and local businesses which had facilitated the arrival at a plan agreeable to all parties.
Call For Overall Plan For Sandymount

Cllr Claire O’Connor (FF) proposed a motion asking for a holistic, proactive approach to a number of problems in Sandymount related to traffic issues there. She gave the example of two issues she has previously raised at the SEAC which she says are related: the HGV traffic through the village, and problems with burst water mains on Tritonville Road. She said that, on Sandymount asking the Council about these, in the case of the former she was likely to be told it was a Garda matter, and in the case of the latter that she should get in touch with Irish Water about the issue. However she maintains both are issues related to heavy traffic in Sandymount and should be dealt with as a whole by the council. She sought to make the point that there was a need for a holistic approach to dealing with a number of issues in Sandymount, rather than responding to individual problems as they arose.

Cllr James Geoghegan (FG) wanted to know when councillors would receive the promised terms of reference for a Sandymount Task Force from the council. Cllr Chu (GP) agreed that Sandymount faces a particular combination of issues, including the building of flood measures on the Strand Road, and asked that if the council is not going to proceed with the task force, then what would it do to address the concerns of residents?
Cllr Lacey (LAB), also supporting the motion, said the overriding issues were concerned with traffific and that there was a need to fifind some way of bringing all concerned parties together, saying “there’s no point in benefifitting one road at the expense of another road.” Cllr McCartan (FG) said there was a need for a task force to deal with “myriad and complex” issues in Sandymount. He said he didn’t want “deeply ingrained distrust” to arise between different groups within the community who fifind themselves “pitted against each other.”
Cllr Mannix Flynn (IND) said that the issues on Sandymount were no different from similar issues across the city whereby traffic was simply being moved from one road to another with no reduction in cars on the road taking place. “The vast majority of residents want the rat runs to stop,” he claimed.
The Area Manager, Brian Hanney said that he would come back to councillors about the draft terms of reference for a Sandymount task force in advance of the next SEAC meeting.