I am a local resident writing to strongly oppose Material Amendment No. 5, which seeks to cancel the permitted standalone pedestrian and cycle bridge spanning the Kildare railway line and replace it with a pedestrian connection integrated into Clondalkin–Fonthill Railway Station.
1. Isolating the Neighbourhood Behind Hard Borders
This amendment is part of a troubling pattern across the proposed changes—such as downgrading the Grand Canal bridge in Amendment No. 2—that confines our neighbourhood within hard physical barriers (the railway line, the Grand Canal, and Fonthill Road). Replacing dedicated community bridges with indirect detours isolates residential areas, reduces active travel options, and turns our community into a walled-off enclave rather than an integrated urban district.
2. Lengthening Daily Trips to Planned Local Schools
The Clonburris SDZ masterplan places vital social infrastructure—including planned primary and post-primary schools—on designated sites across the railway corridor.
- A dedicated, standalone bridge was designed to provide a direct, traffic-free "school run" desire line for children and families.
- Removing this standalone crossing forces students to take long detours through busy station areas or along heavily trafficked arterial roads, directly increasing daily walking/cycling distances and creating unnecessary road safety hazards during peak morning drop-off hours.
3. Backed by Research on Community Severance & Permeability
Established urban transport research (such as the UCL Transport & Community Severance Study) shows that major railway lines create severe physical barriers ("static severance") that cut communities off from essential local services:
- Friction and Delays: National cycling and urban design standards (DMURS and NTA Active Travel Guidelines) require primary active travel routes to be direct, continuous, and barrier-free. Routing everyday walking and cycling through a commercial train station introduces severe friction—elevators, stairs, ticket concourses, and narrow footbridges—that actively deters cyclists, cargo bikes, wheelchair users, and parents with buggies.
- Night-Time Safety & CPTED Failures: Transit station concourses fail basic Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) criteria. Unlike an open, well-lit, standalone bridge with continuous public visibility, an enclosed station environment introduces blind spots, restrictive access, and perceived safety risks at night, discouraging walking and cycling after dark.
4. Redundant Clustering Along Fonthill Road
Rerouting the crossing directly to Clondalkin–Fonthill Station clusters movement right next to the existing Fonthill Road (R113) vehicular bridge. Concentrating crossings in one spot leaves a wide spatial gap along the railway line, leaving local residents without a direct neighborhood connection.
Conclusion: A station footbridge serves rail commuters; a dedicated standalone bridge connects a community. I urge South Dublin County Council and An Coimisiún Pleanála to reject Amendment No. 5 and reinstate the approved standalone pedestrian and cycle bridge over the railway.