Over 100 people attended Cormac's public information on the proposed Monkstown Village Improvement Scheme on Thursday 6th April. Cormac gave a presentation on the plans for the village and then took questions from the audience.
At the meeting he gave a committment to come back with answers on the various questions, here is a sample of those questions and the answers;
1) What is the overall cost of the village improvement works?
€1.1m has been allocated in the capital programme for the construction phase of the contract
2) Is the Contra-Flow cycle lane along Clifton Avenue proceeding or will there be parking on both sides of Clifton Avenue?
The contra flow cycle lane is proceeding (from Seapoint Avenue into Monkstown village)
3) Do you have drawings of the proposed pay & display bays along Clifton Avenue?
Yes, the same number of parking spaces are being retained but the spaces towards the sea end are being moved to the opposite side of the road to ensure none are lost. Click here to view the map.
4) What measures can be installed to prevent cars blocking Clifton Lane and can flexible bollards be installed just outside Clifton Lane similar to those at the top of Clifton Avenue?
The change to the parking layout will result in cars behaving differently on Clifton Avenue. For example, the parking will be immediately after Clifton Lane and if someone was to park across Clifton Aveneue they would also block the road. Following the completion of the scheme issues like this can be reviewed
5) Do you have a map of the locations of all relocated disabled bays?
There are two disabled bays within the scheme area. These are being retained in these locations (but are realigned to match the new alignment)
6) What type of road surface is being used in the scheme and is it suitable for cyclists?
The road surface will be blacktop and is suitable for cyclists
7) There was considerable concern about the proposal for cobbles being used as Monkstown has a high proportion of elderly residents and they expressed concern about them being a trip hazard, similar to that of Dún Laoghaire town?
There are no cobbles within the scheme
8) Has consideration been given to the impact that this scheme will have on neighbouring roads and other traffic schemes i.e. Merrion Gates, S2S, Rock Road Improvements, etc
The capacity of the roads within the scheme are not changing. The schemes mentioned are only at outline proposal stage and if they were to go ahead they would have to be considered in the context of how Monkstown will be changed
9) How many car parking spaces are there at the moment in the village and how many will there be after the works?
There is a net gain of 1 parking space after the scheme is completed. The existing loading bays on Monkstown Crescent are being reduced
10) There were several requests for electronic speed reminder signs along all approach roads into the village (Monkstown Road, Carrickbrennan Road and Monkstown Avenue)?
The scheme is provided ramped crossing points and this in conjunction with the carriageway narrowing will provide a traffic calming function. We dont envisage any other measures being required to slow cars
11) Some Maximum 15 Minute Parking Bays were requested outside of the dry-cleaners along Monkstown Road - will pay & display bays be provided here too?
No bays are proposed at this location as part of this scheme
12) Brighton Avenue, the Link Road and Albany Avenue all expressed concern about rat running along their roads once this scheme is implemented. Im not sure I understand this one. They are concerned about the one way on Clifton Avenue pushing cars onto their roads?
13) Flexi-bollards have also been requested at the entrance (from Carrickbrennan Road) on Packenham Road as there is a danger to school children who attend the Quaker school and who cross at this intersection?
We are looking this junction separately.
14) Will turning movements (turning right onto slip road beside Goggins Pub) be allowed from Richmond Green and from the new two-way road outside Church of Ireland?
You will be able to turn right from the new two way into the slip lane at Goggins and left from Richmond into this area. But upon exit you have to turn left.
15) How long will these works take and what disruption to businesses and traffic flow will there be? 8-10 month construction period and disruption will be minimised as much as possible. We dont expect any more restrictive traffic management than stop/go being used
17) Residents report that there was no advance warning or information about works on Monkstown Road. Residents didn't know if it was for the village improvement or what it was for?
These works were with Irish Water and they did erect signage all over the area notifying of their works. There was confusion though between the two schemes.
18 ) There is no provision to supply a safe crossing zone/area for pedestrians coming down from Clifton Avenue onto Seapoint Avenue crossing over to the DART station. Can this be installed?
It is not included as part of this scheme
19) Review the 3 bay parking bay along Packenham Road (beside Grovenor Terrace) as these cause near accidents on a daily basis.
This is outside of the scope of the village improvement scheme
20) Request for bil-lingual signage on all approach roads heading into Monkstown Village denoting same but these must be in an appropriate style and design reflecting the heritage area that Monkstown is?
We did consider signage as part of the scheme but the issue is that there are virutally no locations where we could fit these type of signs. we are open to the idea if suitable designs and locations can be found
21) A special sign as gaeilge has been requested on the centre island in the middle of the village?
We did consider signage as part of the scheme but the issue is that there are virutally no locations where we could fit these type of signs. we are open to the idea if suitable designs and locations can be found
22) A yellow box needs to be provided at the junction of Clifton Avenue, Monkstown Road, Monkstown Crescent. Also another outside Richmond Green?
We can consider this when the construction is completed. The installation of the one-way is going to change the way the junction operates and would prefer to be able to assess this before agreeing to place a large yellow box in the middle of the village
23) Concern raised about the road surface and condition of the road along Packenham Road (beside Grovenor Terrace)?
This is outside the scope of the village scheme
24) Would someone in the Traffic Section meet with residents of Brighton Avenue (road surface, pay & display and road width) and also Carrickbrennan Manor (elderly sheltered acocomodation) about their respective concerns?
This is outside the scope of the scheme and Traffic can be contacted directly about it
25) What type of Granite is being used (Chinese, English, etc)?
Portuguese Gris Alvo granite (Id have to double check the drawings for exact spelling)
26) Can the stopping area at the bottom of Clifton Avenue and also Brighton Avenue be extended in order to allow cars exiting these roads onto Seapoint Avenue so that it can improve their sightlines? Yes, we have included measures to improve sightlines at the bottom of Clifton Avenue
Please note that the contractor is proposing to construct the scheme to completion in sections of about 30-50m at a time before moving on to the next section. This should minimise disruption but will require longer to build. Most of the works can be done without using stop / go.
To view the plans for the Monkstown Village Scheme, please see the relevant links below:
* To view the cross sections of the plans; click here
