Green Party councillor, Deirdre de Burca has queried Wicklow Town Council’s plans to implement road works at the junction where the Dunbur Rd ends outside Flannery’s Shop at the south end of Wicklow Town.

De Burca says that Wicklow Town Councillors recently approved works that will see the width of the junction outside Flannery’s shop significantly narrowed. “This is a wide junction at the moment but the Town Council proposes to narrow it significantly by bringing out the kerbing of the footpath onto the road” says de Burca. “It is also proposed to move the bus bays from the road into the Ball Alley area in addition to a bus shelter. A pedestrian crossing is also being considered”.

The Green Party councillor says that Wicklow Town Council has informed her that the approved works will not need to go through the normal public consultation processes required under the legislation because of the limited scale of the works. “I am told that the plans have been available in the Town Council offices over the last few weeks for people to go in and view if they are interested” says de Burca. “However, this fact has not been advertised as would normally happen under a public consultation process”.

De Burca says that local residents have informed her that they believe the proposed works will cause road safety problems and will worsen the traffic situation in the town. “I raised this issue with the Town Council and was told that the works were subject to a safety audit by consultants” she says. “Apparently the consultant didn’t feel that the works would cause any safety issues”. She also says that residents have complained bitterly about the works that were carried out at the Market Square which also resulted in the narrowing of this end of the Main St.

“It is not up to me to criticise how another local authority is choosing to spend its money but it seems clear to me that traffic calming measures on the Dunbur Road itself should really be the priority” she says. “I have made this point very forcefully to Wicklow Town Council and I have been assured that traffic calming measures will be put in place on this road in the near future”.