Tag Archives: public meetings

Local Issues, Transport, Uncategorized

Impressive Attendance at Transport Meeting Shows Hunger for Improved Public Transport in Dublin 15

Deputy Joan Burton, Cllr. Michael O’Donovan and Cllr. Peggy Hamill yesterday hosted a public transport meeting in ‘The Paddocks’, Littlepace with over 70 members of the public in attendance. The meeting was addressed by representatives from the Rail Procurement Agency (Metro West), Iarnr?d Eireann and Dublin Bus. This was followed by a lively question and answer session with over 20 speakers from the floor.

Commuters were pleading for urgent action to be taken to tackle the ongoing problem of overcrowding on trains. Making all trains on the Maynooth line 8 carriage trains at peak time was seen as a priority, while Deputy Burton said that the medium term aim should be for 10 or 12 carriage trains like the DART and that she will continue campaigning for the upgrade of the Maynooth line to a full DART service. It was explained that the Government had not invested enough in new rolling stock, limiting the capacity of peak time trains.

People from the Ongar and Littlepace areas spoke of the need for the rail spur to Hansfield / Pace established as a matter of priority, even before the full length of the route to Dunboyne is opened. At the moment they have to walk a half hour or more to Clonsilla station.

There were many impassioned comments about the state of our bus service with people clearly frustrated with the long journey times to town. People feel like they live on the bus! Concerns were expressed about the proposed move of the 37 terminus to the Blanchardstown Town Centre. People spoke of the need for more express services to the city centre and the need to avoid traffic bottlenecks such as Blackhorse Avenue, Castleknock, Prussia St. and Aughrim St. Questions were posed about the Transport Minister’s decision to indefinitely postpone the purchase of 300 new buses, especially when there were Quality Bus Corridors in Dublin 15 that didn’t have enough buses to run on them to make them worthwhile.

People spoke about the bizarre situation where road space is being given up for bus corridors, but money is not being provided to run buses in them. There’s a clear lack of joined-up thinking there and this needs to change.

The representative from Dublin Bus spoke about improvements to Dublin 15 bus services which are expected to come on stream over the summer. All these services will be kept under review so that everyone in Dublin 15 can reap the benefit.

Speaking after the meeting, Deputy Burton said “These meetings are useful for gauging the public’s appetite for public transport. Based on the large and vocal attendance last night, hunger continues unabated for a reliable and accessible public transport system. While there have been some improvements recently, we have not seen anything like the investment necessary to meet the needs of a growing Dublin 15 population. More people would leave their cars at home if they felt they could rely on the bus being on time, being able to get a place on the train or get to the airport without going around the world.

“I was delighted to hear the Metro West project manager outline the timeline for putting this infrastructure in place, with 2015 being the target completion date. There are clearly issues to be overcome in terms of identifying a route that is acceptable to all those affected, but having a light-rail link to the airport will greatly add to the attractiveness of Dublin 15 as a business and employment location. I have called the Rail Procurement Agency to re-examine the possibility of shifting the route alignment to the West to serve areas like Ongar, Tyrellstown, and Littlepace which are currently underserved by public transport. I look forward to engaging with the RPA on behalf of local residents to ensure that all outstanding issues can be satisfactorily overcome.

“I will continue to press the Minister for Transport, Iarnród Eireann, the Rail Procurement Agency and Dublin Bus for an improved and integrated bus & rail system for the people of Dublin West. I would encourage any people wishing to highlight transport issues to get in touch with me by phone, email or letter.”

, , ,
Local Issues, Transport, Uncategorized

Public Meeting on Transport – 24th April at 8pm in ‘The Paddocks’, Littlepace

I will host a public meeting on Thursday 24th April to deal with public transport issues facing Dublin 15 and facilitate questions by members of the public to representatives from transport providers as follows.

SPEAKERS:

Gareth Quinn – Dublin Bus (Area Manager North West)
John Reville – Iarnród Eireann (Regional Manager)
Myles McHugh – Iarnród Eireann (Service Planning Manager)
Tom O’Reilly – RPA (Metro West Project Manager)
Joan Burton TD – Labour Party Deputy Leader

We hope that you can attend and all are welcome

Venue: ‘The Paddocks’, Littlepace (Upstairs Lounge)
Date: Thursday 24th April 2008
Time: 8pm

, ,
Local Issues, Uncategorized

High turnout for meeting to discuss the future of Clonsilla Village

There was a large turn-out of residents of the Clonsilla Village area at a meeting to discuss the future of the Village and the Area Action Plan to be drawn up by Fingal County Council. The meeting, which was held on Tuesday November 20th, was organised by the Labour Party and was addressed by Joan Burton T.D. and local councillors Peggy Hamill and Michael O’Donovan.

Joan Burton said: “It was really encouraging to see such a high turn-out at the meeting and there were lots of positive and workable suggestions. We all know that there’s been a lot of bad planning when it comes to Clonsilla but there’s a big push for change now. We want to make Clonsilla a better place to live”.

Joan Burton noted that more facilities needed to be provided for residents in the area. “We badly need more facilities for the people in the community, especially young people and old people”.

Joan Burton remarked that any changes to the Village will have to take into account the current traffic situation:
“The proposed Aldi would have a very negative effect on traffic in the Village. The Village should develop in a way that is geared towards local traffic only, rather than ‘passing through’ traffic. We already have a lot of problems with congestion and don’t want to make it worse. Clonsilla is a place where people are settling and bringing up families, not somewhere that people drive through on the way to somewhere else”.

“Clonsilla is one of the few villages that there are in Dublin 15 and more needs to be done to preserve the character of the Village”.

“Whatever changes are brought it, I think it’s important to maintain the trees and hedgerows of the Village. We have done a lot to save the trees so we wouldn’t like to see them destroyed”.

Joan Burton has a number of suggestions for what could be done to improve the village: “We need a community centre and meeting places for local residents. Also car parking around the station is a major issue – there are only around 72 car parking places planned for Portersgate which is completely inadequate”.

“Additionally it would be great to see the Village opened up to the canal and then using the canal as an amenity, with improved walking facilities and facilities for canoeing”.

Many people at the meeting spoke about the Old Schoolhouse, the unique 3-storey old school building by the canal and railway line. Cllr. Peggy Hamill said that the County Council should be encouraged to acquire it and use it for community purposes.

Councillor Michael O’Donovan spoke about the need for extra school places for children in the area and the demand for good quality housing in the area for people looking to buy a family home for themselves and their children.

Joan Burton emphasised the importance of local residents making submissions for what they’d like to see changed in the Village

“Local people can have a say in how they want the village to look by sending a submission to Fingal County Council by December 6th with any suggestions or ideas that they may have. The Council will do a study guided by what the people of the area have to say. Submissions are free so I’d encourage everyone who has an interest in the Village to send one in”.

,
Education, Local Issues

Littlepace Parents to Hold Urgent Meeting About School Places

Parents in Littlepace and Ongar are to meet this evening to prepare a strategy on the current crisis over primary and post primary school places in the area.The meeting will be at Littlepace Paddocks at 8pm .

All local TDs are expected to attend reflecting the importance of the issue on the doorsteps in the election. Bertie Ahern put up a woeful performance when questioned about it in the Dail as he clearly doesn’t understand the scale of the problem.

In Littlepace there are 3 schools at present sharing a single small campus. 2 are in temporary buildings and the third is running 4 streams for each year, 32 classes in total with some of the biggest classes in the whole country.

Some families as yet do not know if their child has a secure place for this September.As for post primary there has been no new post primary school built in Dublin 15 since Labour sanctioned Castleknock Community School in 1995. In 10 years of huge population growth there has been no new secondary school in Dublin 15, an amazing but true fact.

There is one crisis in Littlepace-Ongar. There is another in Carpenterstown. There has to be a short term solution for this Autumn and then a longer term plan for the coming decade so we can have no more of these annual crises.

Hopefully tonight’s meeting will commence that process.

, , ,
Uncategorized

Packed Local Meeting on Environment and Climate Change

A packed public meeting in St. Thomas National School, Laurel Lodge last night heard Éanna Ni Lamhna of “Mooney Goes Wild” on RTE 1 and Duncan Stewart of RTE’s “Our House” and “Eco Eye” make an impassioned plea for people to take personal responsibility for curbing Ireland’s carbon emissions.

Labour TD Joan Burton organised this Open Forum on the Environment to highlight the climate change crisis and to bring a number of independent expert speakers to Dublin West.

Éanna Ni Lamhna told the meeting that, as well as pushing for action at national level, people need to look at their own lifestyles to find ways that they can reduce their personal carbon footprint in their homes, in their transport choices and in all other areas of their lives. She also spoke of her concerns for Ireland’s biodiversity and local wildlife.

Deputy Joan Burton, Labour Party TD for Dublin West, told the meeting that the Labour Party will be putting forward to voters a clear agenda addressing climate change issues. She spoke of the aims of the Labour Party policy to both reduce emissions and also to improve our quality of life and our economic competitiveness, as the global and EU economies adjust to the dangers posed to the planet.

There was a practical discussion with Duncan Stewart about the many options available to make our homes more energy efficient, from detailed advice on attic insulation to a discussion of the various heating systems that are now available to homeowners.

The third speaker David Phillip, an environmental campaigner, gave the audience a graphic description of what a modern sustainable village could be like, drawn from the model of the Eco-Friendly Community that is currently being developed in the village of Cloughjordan in Co. Tipperary.

After the speeches there was a very lively discussion with the panel, chaired by local scientist Michael O’Keefe.


Local Issues, Transport, Uncategorized

Burton Organises Public Transport Discussion on 1st Anniversary of Transport 21

To mark the 1st anniversary of Transport 21, Deputy Joan Burton, Labour Party TD for Dublin West is hosting a major public meeting on transport in the Dublin 15 area next Tuesday, 7th November at 8pm in the Paddocks (upstairs lounge), Littlepace.

The line-up includes representatives of Dublin Bus, Irish Rail and the Dublin Transportation Office (DTO) who are attending, as they did last year, to discuss with residents what progress is being made to meet the demands of residents in Dublin 15.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Deputy Burton said, “One year on from the announcement of Transport 21, the government’s major initiative to develop the transport system, and it seems that the situation is getting worse for residents of Dublin 15.”

“Trains that were packed to capacity this time last year are being forced to cater for more and more commuters as housing development continues at breakneck speed.”

“Bus journey times for residents of Dublin 15 have been shown this year to be the longest in the city with residents travelling for up to 2 hours on a bus to get into the city centre”.

“So many residents in Dublin 15 have contacted me to express their sheer frustration with the total inadequacy of the public transport options in their area. This public meeting is an opportunity for residents to meet Irish Rail and Dublin Bus face-to-face to demand what plans they propose to meet the needs of Dublin 15 residents and what timescale they expect for improvements”

, ,
Local Issues, Uncategorized

PUBLIC MEETING ON PLANNING APPLICATION FOR WOODBERRY – COLLEGE GATE NEXT MONDAY 21ST AUGUST

Deputy Burton will host a public meeting next Monday the 21st of August in Kavanagh’s Pub, Laurel Lodge at 8pm to discuss the recent planning application to build a substantial development of 147 units, replacing two existing houses “Sundayswell” and “Garryknock”, on the lands between Woodberry and College Gate.

Access to the proposed development would be from the Carpenterstown Road. The proposals indicate that the development will consist of mainly 3 storey houses and 4 storey apartment blocks.

“If this proposal goes ahead, it will be a major new development and will have a significant impact on the local residential area” said Deputy Burton. “I hope that local residents will attend the meeting next Monday evening and take part in the discussion of this application.”

“Objections and observations on the proposal, reference No. F06a/1109, can be submitted to Fingal County Council up until Wednesday the 6th of September. The plans will be available to view at the public meeting on Monday night and the major implications of this proposal regarding traffic, green space, facilities etc will be discussed”.

The meeting will take place in the upstairs room of Kavanagh’s pub.

, ,
Uncategorized

PUBLIC MEETING ON POLICING AND CRIME WITH LABOUR PARTY LEADER PAT RABBITTE TD AND JOAN BURTON TD

Labour Leader Pat Rabbitte TD and Joan Burton TD are to address a public meeting in St. Phillips Primary School Hall, Mountview on Monday 29th May at 8pm.

Local communities in Dublin 15 are experiencing increasing levels of crime, while detection and conviction rates are falling. A recent Garda report indicated that detection rates for crimes such as burglary had fallen as low as 10% in the Blanchardstown area for 2005.
“Because of the lack of community policing in the Dublin 15 area, locals are experiencing harassment and misery due to anti-social behaviour” said Deputy Burton. “The number of Community Gardai based in Blanchardstown has fallen from 21 in 2001 to 18 in 2006 despite the population explosion taking place in Dublin West. We need a dedicated core of Community Gardai, if we are to give hope back to blighted communities and give them the security and peace they deserve.”
The Labour Party has recently undertaken a major survey of public attitudes to anti-social behaviour, to gain a better insight into the problem of anti social behaviour and how it affects the reality of people’s lives in modern Ireland.

Deputy Rabbitte said, “Within the overall area of crime, anti-social behaviour by a tiny minority in some of our communities is a major issue that has been neglected by the current Minister for Justice and the government. The quality of life for many hardworking families is being damaged by crime and vandalism”.

Representatives of the Local Community Drugs Task Force and the Local Gardai have been invited to come and hear the views of local people on problems of crime and policing in the Blanchardstown area.

,
Local Issues, Uncategorized

Public Information Meeting on Castleknock Issues

Stadium For Castleknock?
Solving the Schools Crisis

8pm Thursday, 18th of May, Castleknock Community College

I am hosting a public meeting on a number of pressing local issues
this Thursday, May 18th at Castleknock Community College.

• Bohemians Football Club have decided to leave Dalymount and
relocate to a site off the Luttrellstown/Porterstown road. The proposed site for the new stadium is in the grounds of Oatlands (the big house just north of the tollbridge), down from the Castleknock Hotel and Country Club and opposite Diswellstown.
• Many local parents are facing huge worries over getting primary and secondary school places for their children. The emergency extra provision at primary level is too little too late. Nothing at all is being done by government about extra second level places.
• Castleknock Community College is still without it’s long promised gym.

You are cordially invited to meet myself and Councillor Peggy Hamill to discuss these and other pressing local issues.

Yours sincerely,

Joan Burton TD

,
Local Issues, Transport, Uncategorized

Commuters concern over lack of Public Transport – Labour Public Meeting

St. Thomas’ School Hall in Laurel Lodge was the scene of a crowded public meeting on Transport and gridlock in Dublin 15 on Monday night, the 13th of March. The meeting was hosted by Deputy Joan Burton, TD for Dublin West, and brought together Dublin Bus, Iarnroid Eireann and Conor Faughnan of the AA to discuss the additional public transport provision required in Dublin West and the ongoing developments on the M50.

Deputy Burton said that what was clear from the presentations is that unless Dublin West gets a significant additional complement of up to 50 extra buses and a further increase in train services, then people will continue to experience poor quality public transport. “It seems to me that Dublin West and Dublin 15 have been left as something of the Cinderella when it comes to public transport plans of this government”.

“Dublin Bus acknowledged at the meeting that journey times to town continue to increase despite the apparent availability of Quality Bus Corridors. There are two principal reasons for the increase in journey times to town. One is the absence of Bus Priority Measures at Prussia Street and along the North Quays where buses can be delayed for up to forty minutes. The other is that because of a shortage of buses, many buses do long extended journeys around Dublin West before heading for the city centre. On the railway front, unless this government gets it’s finger out, it is likely that it will be a further three years before any further improvements in rail passenger numbers are seen.”

Many of the people at the meeting questioned the location of the new Spencer Dock station, opened in a blaze of publicity earlier this week by the Minister of Transport. “It is disappointing” said Deputy Burton “to hear Iarnroid Eireann confess that the Spencer Dock station may now be located in the Sheriff street area several hundred yards away from the proposed extension to LUAS at the IFSC. This means that people will be left in Sheriff street far away from Connolly or indeed from the LUAS extension, or indeed from the new pedestrian bridges over the Liffey. I am calling on Iarnroid Eireann to reconsider their plans and to properly integrate the new Spencer Dock station with the LUAS and with feeder bus services in town”.

Conor Faughnan from the AA said that the government urgently needed to clarify what their new tolling proposals on the M50 were. It seemed that the government wanted multi-tolling points to capture journeys the length of the M50. Conor Faughnan predicted that this option could prove to be extraordinarily expensive and might necessitate toll fees rising to 2 or 3 times their current level. The government was proposing to do this in order to pay for the extra lanes on the M50.

He also said that in his view there could be 4000-6000 HGV lorries a day on the M50 after the opening of the Port Tunnel. He said that anything on the scale of current lorry traffic on the quay’s would make the M50 an extremely difficult experience for ordinary drivers and would probably force them off the M50 and into residential areas on both sides of the length of the M50. This in turn would put even more traffic pressure on communities such as Dublin 15.

Many members of the audience spoke of their own difficult experiences of commuting. A number of people expressed particular concern about the poor performance of the 38 buses, a complaint which Dublin Bus acknowledged. Other members of the audience spoke of their concern about the proposal to close Chapelizod village to Dublin 15 traffic and the additional difficulty that this would pose for motorists from the Luttrelstown and Porterstown area. Many speakers noted that this area was poorly served by public transport so that people had no choice except to use their cars.

, ,