Dublin Mid-West Councillor Derren Ó Brádaigh has expressed growing concern at the sheer number of residents in Adamstown and the surrounding areas experiencing car parking difficulties daily. The councillor was referring to a recent courtesy canvas of over 1,100 homes and the feedback received directly on the doors.
The Councillor for Lucan-Palmerstown-North Clondalkin said “During the month of October Sinn Féin conducted door knocks on 5 separate dates, engaging with residents in the existing parts of Castlegate and Adamstown long taken in charge by the council. The homes we covered were constructed over a decade ago, with the continued Adamstown Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) construction, now giving rise to a rapidly increasing population and the demand for services such as GP’s, basic healthcare and childcare becoming acute. Lack of car parking space also featured prominently during conversations and in the context of infrastructural needs.
“This is an issue that is regularly raised with me by residents, and I have conveyed these concerns to the Council. In response, SDCC reference the National Transport Authority’s strategic plan for the greater Dublin area and parking provision guidelines of applying car parking space based upon the level of public transport accessibility. “The County Development Plan (CDP) states that Adamstown has a layout which allows for sustainable forms of transport and therefore the provision of parking spaces is appropriate. An ‘objective’ of the SDZ is that Adamstown be designed to accommodate, but not be dominated by the car. This is a planning principle that I support and recognise, if we are serious about climate awareness and our environment.
“Whilst I accept and even support much of the content as guided by council policy, our own county development plan and recommendations by the NTA, car parking space shortages generally are becoming more acute in the Adamstown SDZ. This in my view, is because of the delay in essential services being realised in real time, such as nearby childcare, new road openings, absence of bus routes arriving alongside new development becoming occupied, overstretched train/carriages numbers at peak hours and the demand for planned new school places now, sending children further afield to surrounding schools. This is being compounded by the current housing crisis, that is resulting in larger tenancy numbers in many dwellings, all bringing with it more cars and car dependency.
“Lucan West has a large working population with many young families. We know that there are a lot of healthcare workers living locally, working shift hours, and often arriving home late and unable to get parking. In some instances, this has led to tensions and disputes between neighbours. If we are to ever achieve the modal shift from private car to public transport that we all aspire to, then we need to address the immediate service needs, changing dynamics and challenges of new communities as they emerge.”
