A traffic survey has revealed that 1,400 heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) travelled along the Kennelsfort Road in a six-day period, despite the ban on HGVs from using the residential road in Palmerstown. Citing this, Workers’ Party representative and local resident David Gardiner has once again called on Gardaí to finally enforce the ban.
Gardiner said: “These huge private companies are using our roads to make their profits, without giving any thought to how it might impact the local community. “I’ve had residents living on the road report cracked windows in their homes, while others have expressed safety concerns for children. There are a number of schools nearby, and it is hardly ideal to have massive haulers driving down a residential road that many children use to get home.”
“As many local people will know, there is already a ban in place, but Gardaí just aren’t enforcing it. Surely the results of this survey, carried out by South Dublin County Council, show that there is a clear need to.” In a report to the council, Chief Executive Daniel McLoughlin came to the conclusion that “the number of HGV movements is low on Kennelsfort Road in comparison to total traffic.” Gardiner, however, believes that this is missing the point. “Although this may be the case, it still means that hundreds of HGVs are using the road daily when, in accordance with the ban, that number should be zero.”
