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.

It is crucial to the community to provide an inclusive, creative space, for people of all ages to have fun and to gather. Skating builds social connections and encourages the community to be active and aids with mental and physical well-being, a meeting point for people of all backgrounds. One suggestion for where the skatepark could be is the Sorensen Service site near St. Josephs Church (adjacent to the intersection of the R639 and the Hazelwood Rd), once it moves its machinery and cars off it and all that. Another suggestion, could be to build a Skatepark on the old John Barleycorn Hotel site in Glanmire. In fact, anywhere in Glanmire would be wonderful to have a skatepark that people can easily walk or cycle to. In conclusion, I deeply feel passionate about getting a skatepark and it will bring lots of liveliness and good vibes to the area, so if you want, sign for the coolest petition

Dalya Alnajjar has recently been granted refugee status in Ireland after seeking asylum in Ireland over a year ago. Since she arrived she has become a valued, integral and much-loved member of the community in Cahersiveen. Her family who are still in Gaza are homeless and suffering desperately as a result of Israel’s continuing human rights violations. She has already submitted an application for family reunification, and she has supplied the minister’s office with details about her family – including copies of their UNWRA registration cards. Since October 2023, Dalya has begun each day by checking casualty lists, fearing for her family's lives. She and her family have already incurred tremendous losses. Her home has been deliberately bombed and completely razed. Thirteen of her cousins were killed in a massacre in her neighbourhood. Her cousin Razan—a pioneering paramedic—was killed for her humanitarian work. This is not abstract policy; this is life and death, unfolding now.  Under EU Case C-563/22, Dalya's family are entitled to refugee recognition. UNRWA has ceased operations in Gaza, leaving them without protection.  Other EU states have taken action on humanitarian grounds. Ireland can do so as well. We call on the Minister for Justice to: 1. Accept UNRWA registration as sufficient proof of refugee status for family reunification purposes 2. Exercise discretionary provisions under Section 60 of the International Protection Act 2015 3. Consider a special humanitarian admission for Dalya's family, as precedent allows. As of today 16/11/2025 the Alnajjar family are being displaced for the umpteenth time due to being flooded out of the tent they have been living in. Their situation is more dire than ever. They need to be brought to the safety of Dalya’s new community where they will be looked after by her with the support of those who have signed below.  We sign because Dalya’s family's lives depend on our willingness to act with courage and compassion. We sign because this is what humanity requires. We sign because we are committed to supporting Dalya and her family should you allow them to be reunited here in Ireland.

Survivors of sexual violence deserve safety, dignity, and privacy when seeking counseling and support. For too long, the possibility that deeply personal counseling notes could be used against them in court has caused unnecessary fear, re-traumatisation, and discouraged many from seeking the help they need. Thanks to the tireless advocacy of survivors, activists and politicians, the Oireachtas Justice Committee has listened. In its report on the General Scheme of the Criminal Law and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025, the Committee strongly recommends an outright ban on the use of counseling records as evidence in sexual offense trials, removing the current provision that allows judges to decide whether such records can be used. This recommendation is a vital step toward creating a more compassionate and trauma-informed justice system for survivors of sexual violence in Ireland. We urge the Minister for Justice and all members of the Oireachtas to: 1. Adopt the Committee’s recommendation in full — ensuring an absolute ban on the use of counseling records in sexual offense trials. 2. Protect the privacy and dignity of survivors by removing judicial discretion to admit these records as evidence. 3. Prioritize survivor well-being and access to justice in all future legislation and court practice.

In Stapolin ETNS, we are having to campaign for 2 additional autism classes to meet the needs of children within our school and local community because the NCSE have informed us that our school is not considered a priority, despite us showing a clear need for these classes.  We currently have 2 autism classes which arre full. We have 8 children with eligibility letters in our mainstream waiting on an autism class space. On top of that we have 50 children on our waiting list, 20 of whom are in our immediate catchment area.  2 more classes is 12 spaces. That would ensure that the 8 children in our mainstream have access to the supports the need to access their education, as well as offering remaining places to some of those on our waiting list.  While we appreciate it’s important that schools without autism classes are encouraged and supported to open them, the need in our own school is urgent and undeniable, and we don't understand why both can't happen at the same time - allow us to open additional classes to support the children currently in our school and in our local catchment area, while also encouraging schools without autism classes to open them aswell.  Every child should have the chance to continue their education in the community where they’ve already built friendships, feel safe, and have strong relationships with staff who know and understand them. Please support our campaign for two additional autism classes in Stapolin and to support the rights of children to an appropriate education that meets their needs. 

Right now, one in 20 schoolchildren in Ireland are being diagnosed with autism, that’s a threefold increase in less than a decade. Yet there are still huge gaps in access to appropriate education, on both primary and secondary school-level. Children like Jamie are not asking for special treatment, only for equal access to education within their own communities. Uprooting autistic children from familiar surroundings, routines, and peers causes unnecessary distress and isolates them from the place they call home. Every child deserves an education where they feel included, supported, and seen, without having to travel miles away just to be accepted. It’s time to make sure that no family has to fight this same battle again.

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.

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