Councillor William Durkan

I: Clane Maynooth MD: April 2025

Tag: transport

  • Clane Maynooth MD: April 2025

    Please find below the list of motions and questions raised for discussion at the Clane-Maynooth Municipal District on April 4th 2025.

    Motion – Councillor William Durkan
    That the council installs additional accessible parking bays at Timahoe National School (x2) and Prosperous National School (x1).

    Report: The Municipal District Engineer will assess this request at each school and subject to funding being available, the request can be progress through the required process.

    Note: Further discussion on this topic during the meeting was very positive for both cases. In particular, Timahoe National School was already inspected and no issues to delivery identified. While some further planning was needed in the case of Prosperous, no significant issues were expected.

    Motion – Councillor William Durkan
    That the council inspects Clonuff Lane, Broadford (L10021), to review the road condition and consider inclusion on the 2025 Works Programme.

    Report: This road will be assessed and if works are required, they will be included in the Road Works Programme 2025, subject to funding being available.

    Question – Councillor William Durkan
    Can the council provide an update on when a timeline for individual school zone marking works within the municipal district will be available?

    Report: The members allocated LPT funding to these works at a special meeting in March. The Municipal District Office is currently preparing to engage with the Road Markings Contractor to carry out the required markings at each school. It is anticipated that these markings will be carried out during May and June, but the works are weather dependant.

    Question – Councillor William Durkan
    Can the council provide an update on the identification and prioritisation of planned bus stop improvement works within the municipal district?

    Report: There are over 500 existing bus stop locations in County Kildare. Kildare County Council is working with the National Transport Authority (NTA) to review and prioritise improvements to bus stop infrastructure. When this review is complete, a list of potential bus shelters and other improvements for locations will be prepared and appropriate public consultation undertaken. The provision of stop poles and associated timetable information at existing bus stops on local link routes are being prioritised to link rural communities to more urban areas.

  • Full Council: February 2025

    Councillors Brendan Wyse, Lumi Panaite Fahey, William Durkan, Peggy O’Dwyer, Tracey O’Dwyer and Ivan Keatley


    Motion: That the council prepares a plan of action, with target timelines for completion, to work in conjunction with the NTA and Local Link to install bus stops with timetables at all bus stop locations for all daily Local Link routes in the county.


    Report: The Council has received notification of funding of €500,000 for 2025 from the National Transport Authority for a bus stop enhancement programme. The council has held an initial meeting with the NTA and are awaiting details of the programme and in particular the recoupment process for claims, including expenditure from previous bus stop/shelter programmes. The council welcomes the streamlining of interaction and the clear line of communication with a nominated member of staff from the NTA. Regular progress meetings are scheduled with council staff so that agreement can be reached on a programme of works for 2025 and future years.


    In parallel, the council currently holds regular update meetings with the TFI Local Link Kildare South Dublin Manager. Staff are working closely with this Transport Coordination Unit to develop a framework within which the provision of bus stop infrastructure can be most effectively delivered across the county. To that end, the proposed Route 888 is being used to test a new process and consultation which has improved the levels of coordination and cooperation between TFI Local Link and the Council.


    Once work has been completed on this working procedure and clarity received from the NTA on procurement processes, then an update and timescale for a rolling programme of implementation works can be developed and shared with members.


    Issued by: Ms C Barrett, A/Director of Services, Transport, Mobility and Open Spaces

  • Clane-Maynooth MD: February 2025

    The below Motions and Questions were raised at the February 2025 meeting of the Clane-Maynooth Municipal District:

    Motion – Councillor William Durkan

    That the council identifies the most suitable design/location for a pedestrian crossing in Broadford Village to connect the car park with the school and church and provides a costing estimate for same.

    Report: The request has been added to a list of similar requests in the County and shall be examined when staff resources are available.

    Motion – Councillor William Durkan

    That the council conducts a review of ‘Nan Brennan’s’ Junction on the L1002 near Calfstown in order to improve road safety in the area.

    Report: Kildare County Council is currently progressing a junction improvement project that is looking at ten junctions across the county. This project focuses on locations of interest identified in the Collision Analysis for Regional Road Network work completed by the Department of Transport Support Office.

    This location is not identified in this collision analysis, nor has it been included in the low-cost safety improvement schemes that are to be delivered in 2025. Kildare County Council does not have the funding or resources to review junctions that fall outside of these criteria.

    Question – Councillor William Durkan

    Can the council outline an expected timeline for the completion of all stages of the ongoing speed limit review within the municipal district?

    Report: During 2024 Kildare County Council (KCC) undertook a public consultation process for the review of speed limits on rural local roads. This review arose from recent legislation (Road Traffic Act 2024) which provides for the phased lowering of default speed limits in Ireland.

    Question – Councillor William Durkan

    Can the council outline the number of potential ‘serviced site’ schemes that may be advanced within the municipal district over the coming years, and what conditions are needed to progress same.

    Report: The Serviced Sites Scheme for County Kildare which sets out the terms and conditions for compliance with the scheme is available on the Council website. Volume 2 of the Kildare County Development Plan 2023-2029 identifies all sites designated “Serviced Sites” across the county.

    The Council are currently running a serviced sites pilot scheme in Clogherinkoe, in the Clane – Maynooth Municipal District. Further pilots will be determined on completion on the current project in Clogherinkoe and subject to resources.

  • Clane-Maynooth MD: October 2024

    The below Motions and Questions were raised at the October 2024 meeting of the Clane-Maynooth Municipal District:

    Motion – Councillor William Durkan

    That the council provides a costing for the provision of pedestrian lights in Broadford Village to improve the safety of school and church users in the area.

    Report: This request has been added to list of similar type requests in the County and the location shall be assessed to determine what/if any measures are required when resources become available.

    Motion – Councillor William Durkan

    That the council provides a costing for the resurfacing of the L-70781 near Cock Bridge (off R409) and clarify the extent of the lane that is in the charge of Kildare County Council.

    Report: The cost to resurface this road would be estimated to be in the region of €70,000. This is an estimate and could not be confirmed until tenders would be received. The pavement management system shows 526 metres of the road as listed in charge; however, the Municipal District Engineer understands that the lane is in charge to the last bend.

    Question – Councillor William Durkan

    Can the council provide an update on the conduct of a speed limit review in the case of Kilshanroe Village, as discussed at the previous meeting?

    Report: A 2023 Speed Limit Review was completed by the Department of Transport. Based on a direction (RS01/2024) received from the Department of Transport the following default speed limits are to be implemented:

    • 30km/h (Urban Areas)
    • 60 km/h (Rural Local Roads)
    • 80km/h (National Secondary Roads)
    •  

    The default speed limits are to take effect on a staggered basis with provisional commencement dates as follows:

    • End of November 2024 for Rural Local Roads.
    • First part of 2025 for National Secondary Road and Urban Speed Limits

    Kilshanroe Village is located on a Regional Road (R402) and is not being examined as part of the current phase of works (rural local roads).

  • Clane-Maynooth MD: July 24

    Motions & Questions Raised at the Clane-Maynooth Municipal District July 2024 Meeting:

    Motion – Councillor William Durkan
    That the council provides urgent footpath repairs in the case of Donore Cottages, due to safety and accessibility concerns raised by residents in the area.
    Report: There is no funding allocated in the 2024 budget to repair these footpaths. The Municipal District office will add this request to the list and should funding become available, works will be scheduled. Otherwise, this request can be considered as part of the 2025 works programme.


    Motion – Councillor William Durkan
    That the council provides signage at the gateway points of Johnstownbridge Village, in line with similar measures in other towns in the area.
    Report: The Johnstownbridge Village Renewal Masterplan has been developed and agreed in consultation with residential and commercial stakeholders in town/village, the elected members and the relevant departments within the Local Authority. Some projects will be delivered in the short term and others in the medium to longer term, taking into account funding availability, land ownership etc. The Masterplan is an important tool that will enable Kildare County Council and the community to apply for a range of funding schemes, including the Rural Regeneration Development Fund and the Town and Village funding where a greater priority is given to the funding of projects which are considered part of an overall village plan. Currently Strategic Projects and Public Realm do not have funding in place for the delivery of the village gateways projects. Projects will be delivered when funding becomes available through the various Town Renewal funding streams, Local Property Tax or in partnership with other Local Authority Departments to leverage available funding from other work programmes. It should be noted that the projects identified in the Masterplan are conceptual only and may be subject to appropriate planning consents and further consultation processes prior to detail design and construction stage.

    Question – Councillor William Durkan
    Can the council provide an update on when road works will be completed in the case of the L-5071 through Staplestown Village?
    Report: The Municipal District office is currently reviewing the budgets for resurfacing in 2024. A decision on the Staplestown Village works will be made in mid-July 2024.

    Question – Councillor William Durkan
    Can the council provide an update on when road works will be completed in the case of the L-5008 Road at Clogherinkoe?
    Report: The resurfacing of this road is currently awarded to a contractor and works should be completed within the next two months.