KILDARE: Pedestrians denied one more second to cross busy main street

Pedestrians won’t be getting more time to cross the busy main street in Naas.

A councillor said the decision  by Kildare County Council left him “speechless”

A request for a single second more - bringing the “green man” time from six seconds to seven seconds - to be allowed at the Presbyterian Church crossing at North Main Street has been  refused.

It was requested by local councillor Bill Clear who said he recently observed a man get three quarters across the street before encountering difficulty and he was using a walking aid.

Cllr Bill Clear

He also pointed out that people use the crossing to get to schools, the post office, the library, the credit union and theatre.

The crossing, he said, attracts a particular type of vulnerable road user.

But Cllr Seamie Moore did not agree and said that elsewhere, like in County Waterford,  traffic lights were being removed and traffic was being slowed down.

He said people who step out to cross the road at the last moment will not get across the street safely.

In the long term he said KCC will look at banning heavy goods vehicles from the town centre and  slowing down passing traffic.

This could mean that the speed limit will be reduced to 30 km/h.

According to KCC official Donal Hodgins amendments to signal timings are not recommended in isolation as an area wide approach to improvements for vulnerable road users.

He added that as part of the implementation of a speed limit review, it was proposed to examine a number of initiatives in town centres, including the introduction of reduced speed limits and an increase in the crossing times for pedestrians at signalised crossings. 

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