This busy stretch of road is a daily hazard for families, children, and elderly residents. Every morning and afternoon, dozens of schoolchildren and parents with strollers must cross here to reach nearby schools and crèches, with no safe, marked crossing in place. Vehicles speed through without clear signals to stop, putting lives at risk. We've already raised this issue in a formal letter earlier this year, but action is overdue – incidents are waiting to happen, and we can't afford to wait any longer. A simple pedestrian crossing would: • Enhance road safety for vulnerable pedestrians, reducing the risk of accidents. • Promote healthier lifestyles by encouraging walking and cycling in our community. • Support environmental goals by making sustainable travel options more accessible and appealing. Wicklow County Council has a responsibility to prioritize community safety and infrastructure improvements. We urge you to act now: conduct a site assessment, allocate the necessary resources, and install this crossing without delay. We're ready to participate in any consultations, surveys, or meetings to make this happen.

Why Keeping the Lights Matters 1. Pedestrian Safety Must Come Before Traffic Flow Roundabouts are designed primarily for vehicle efficiency—not pedestrian protection. At this junction, children walk daily to local schools and to the Little Harvard crèche. Signal-controlled crossings give them a guaranteed safe moment to cross, something a roundabout cannot provide without significant additional infrastructure. Traffic lights create clear, predictable stopping points, while roundabouts rely on driver judgement—something that is far less reliable when young children are crossing. 2. A Roundabout Increases Risk for Children and Vulnerable Users At busy multi-directional roundabouts: Cars are constantly moving. Gaps in traffic can be hard to judge, especially for children. Drivers often fail to yield to pedestrians at informal crossings. Replacing traffic lights with a roundabout would remove the only guaranteed safe crossing facility at this location and expose young pedestrians to unnecessary risk. 3. Controlled Signals Reduce Speed—Roundabouts Do Not The current lights naturally slow traffic and force vehicles to stop. A roundabout, even when designed well, encourages continuous movement and can lead to vehicles entering too quickly. With houses, schools, bus stops, and footpaths all nearby, lower speeds mean fewer and less severe accidents. Preserving the lights keeps speeds predictable and manageable. 4. Minor Traffic Delays Are Not Worth a Potential Injury or Fatality While some motorists are frustrated by waiting a few extra minutes at peak times, this inconvenience is insignificant compared to the safety provided by controlled pedestrian crossings. A slightly quicker commute cannot be valued above a child’s life. Traffic lights provide structure, clarity, and protection. Roundabouts prioritise flow—not safety. --- Why This Approach Serves the Community Best This area is expanding rapidly, with more families, more young children, and more pedestrian activity than ever before. Keeping and upgrading the traffic lights ensures: A safer route to school. Clear protection for pedestrians. Better accessibility for all residents. A transport layout that prioritises people, not just vehicles. We should expect a road system that safeguards our children—not one that encourages faster driving simply to reduce delays.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) and biogas can play a positive role in Ireland’s renewable energy transition — but only when properly regulated. Unfortunately, Ireland currently lacks the basic national standards that other EU countries already require. As a result, AD plants are being proposed far too close to homes, private wells, schools, farms, rivers, Natura sites, and even busy motorways. Local authorities have no consistent guidance, and communities are left exposed to unnecessary health, safety and environmental risks. The Problem 1. No minimum setback distances Ireland has no national separation distances between AD plants and: • homes • drinking-water wells • schools • roads and motorways • protected habitats Other countries use 300–500m as standard — Ireland uses none. 2. No national odour standards Odour from digesters, waste reception, and digestate tanks can travel long distances depending on wind and elevation. Ireland has: • no odour regulations • no odour-modelling requirement • no mandatory odour-abatement technology Communities near existing plants frequently report persistent nuisance. 3. Risks to private wells and groundwater Many homes rely on private wells. AD sites store large quantities of slurry, digestate, industrial food waste, and fats/oils/grease. A spill or leak can contaminate groundwater. Ireland has no minimum distance from wells and no hydrological protection rules. 4. Proximity to motorways and road-safety concerns AD plants store methane, biogas and large waste volumes. Without national TII guidance, sites can be placed only metres from national roads and motorways — raising concerns about: • tanker traffic • vehicle fires • collision risks • gas leaks • spill containment This is a major planning gap. 5. Industrial waste accepted with little oversight Many AD plants take: • offal • dairy processing waste • food-industry by-products • fats, oils, grease (FOG) • expired packaged food These greatly increase odour, emissions, and risk. Ireland has no national limits, no composition standards, and weak monitoring. WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR We call on the Minister for the Environment, the EPA, TII, and the Department of Housing to create national AD biogas regulations, including: ✔️ Minimum 500m setback distance From homes, schools, and private wells, unless independent scientific assessment proves otherwise. ✔️ National odour limits With mandatory odour-modelling, abatement systems, and compliance monitoring. ✔️ Groundwater and well protection Hydrological assessments, protected zones, and strict containment standards. ✔️ Rules for industrial waste Clear permitted-waste lists, composition limits, and independent monitoring. ✔️ Road-safety guidelines National TII rules for AD plants near major roads and motorways. ✔️ A full national AD planning framework Like those already existing for windfarms, quarries, and intensive agriculture — ensuring safety, consistency, and transparency. ⸻ WHY THIS MATTERS Ireland needs renewable energy — but we also need safe, responsible, and properly regulated development. Right now, communities across Ireland are being forced to fight these issues one planning application at a time, without the protection of national rules. A clear regulatory framework would protect: • public health • groundwater and private wells • road safety • rural communities • local wildlife and habitats • quality of life We urgently need the Government to act. CALL TO ACTION Sign now to demand strong national regulations for biogas AD plants — to keep our homes, water, and communities safe.

Why Change Is Needed 1. Ongoing Safety Hazards & Frequent Accidents The existing layout and road markings create confusion around right-of-way and turning paths. Many drivers approach the junction unsure of how to move safely through it, leading to numerous collisions and near-misses. Residents regularly witness dangerous situations that could be prevented with a clearer, more intuitive layout—such as a modern roundabout. 2. Regular and Prolonged Power Outages The traffic lights at this junction are well-known for frequent power failures, sometimes lasting several days. During these outages, the junction becomes extremely dangerous for motorists, cyclists, schoolchildren, and pedestrians. Without working signals or clear priority markings, the risk of serious accidents increases dramatically. A roundabout—safe, self-regulating, and functional during power loss—would eliminate this hazard entirely. We have a significant number of children walking independently to school as well as parents walking their children to our designated crèche, Little Harvard. Without pedestrian lights, crossing the road becomes an extremely high risk of serious accidents/death for all, which could be avoided with a roundabout and either a zebra crossing or pedestrian lights, like they have at the tennis club beside House Savers. 3. Unnecessary Traffic Delays The current signal-controlled junction contributes to significant traffic build-up, especially during peak school and commuting times. A roundabout would allow traffic to flow continuously and far more efficiently, reducing congestion and improving travel times for everyone in Rathnew and Wicklow town.

By adding your name to this petition, you will be helping protect the right of millions who lack digital skills or reliable smartphone access to stress-free travel.  By demanding that Ryanair keep paper boarding passes, you will be adding pressure to Ryanair, helping to promote equal treatment of passengers. Together we can show heartless corporations, whose main motivation is their profit, how important it is to prevent discrimination against seniors, low‑income families, and those with limited literacy, and uphold the principle that essential services must remain accessible to all. We know how powerful people-power can be, and thousands of us adding our names to this campaign will make sure the airline listens to our call to adopt inclusive boarding pass options and drop a policy that will permanently excludes vulnerable passengers.

By joining this campaign, you’re helping to make our roads safer, reduce congestion, and ensure local voices are heard in how our infrastructure is designed. Every signature and every show of support strengthens the message that residents want practical, safe, and community-focused solutions.

The campaign is important because it's about preventing a tragedy before it happens.  The current infrastructure is a direct threat to public safety, particularly for the most vulnerable people in the community, such as children, the elderly, and those with disabilities.  Rural outdated roads are in a built up urbanised setting.  Trucks mount pavements which is a real danger It's also a question of fairness; as new housing is built, the existing community should not have to bear the burden of an outdated and dangerous road network.

The Green Schools Committee held a survey last year that found not one student currently walks or cycles to school from off-campus. Not because they don’t want to, but because they can’t do it safely. This needs to change. Footpaths from one or both directions would create healthier and safer route to school, as well as meaning less traffic on the roads. If you agree it’s time for change, please sign the petition. For safety, choice and a more sustainable school community. Image - https://www.droghedagrammarschool.ie/Welcome/How-our-school-is-run/

I live on a Local road. i see all types of pedestrians using this road for their daily walks. these include i see families with young children i see mothers pushing their prams. i see dog walkers. i see elderly friends of the locality going about their daily keep fit walks , some with hi-viz jackets. i myself have had lots of near misses with passing vehicles failing to give an inch when overtaking me.  i have spoken to walkers who will not use certain roads because they are afraid to walk on the roads.

The new BusConnects plan for Finglas brings some positives – the F1 and F2 will be 24 hour services with high frequency, and the new 24 route will connect Finglas directly to Dublin Airport. But a bus services aren't just about connecting suburbs to the city centre in the fastest way possible. The need for local connections to shops, schools, community facilities, family and friends  is vitally important. These are the everyday journeys that hold our community together. If these local links disappear, people will face longer journeys, overcrowded buses and possible isolation, hitting older people and those with disabilities the hardest. Sign and share this petition to ensure our voices are heard and that we have a bus service works for everyone in Finglas!

Why is it important? The current parking and traffic situation on Kilmacullagh Road is unsafe for children, parents, and local residents. With two schools already operating and two building sites — including a new crèche — the road is becoming increasingly congested, creating real risks for accidents, delays, and conflicts in the community. Action now will prevent serious incidents and ensure a safer environment for everyone. Why should other people join? This issue affects the entire community: parents, children, local residents, and businesses. By joining the campaign, you help show decision makers that this isn’t just an individual concern, but a collective problem that needs urgent attention. Together, we can push for proper planning, safer roads, and better facilities for Kilmacullagh Road.

OThe Clonlara residing along the R463 would like to request the support of all residents of Clonlara for the following reasons: • Improved accessibility for those of us at these addresses means more economic activity in Clonlara village.   • It would allow us to access bars and restaurants. It would also create a higher footfall for the village shop which has now closed twice previously due to this challenge. It would increase bus service user numbers thus ensuring the service is not cancelled and more bus services may be added. • It would reduce traffic at Clonlara bridge as many would choose to walk and cycle such a short distance rather than sit on the bridge in traffic. • It would bring members from your community who are currently not spending time in the village due to a lack of accessibility across the bridge and create a more unified community.   We would also like to request the support of those who have  accessibility concerns for relatives living in the area. We thank you all for your support on this matter. **Petition update*  On 12.10.2025 this petition was submitted to Clare Coco, Cathal Crowe TD, elected members of Shannon municipal district, Clare ag friendly programme, Rural and Community Development Officer Conor Leyden