To: Chief Executive, Wicklow County Council
Keep everyone safe at Rathnew by keeping the traffic lights
Why We Support Keeping the Traffic Lights at the Hawkstown Road / Tinakilly Park Junction
We believe Wicklow County Council should retain and improve the existing traffic-light system at the Hawkstown Road and Tinakilly Park junction in Rathnew. While some residents have called for a roundabout, it is essential that any decision prioritises what matters most: the safety of children, pedestrians, and vulnerable road users—not just shaving a few minutes off commuting times.
What We’re Asking For
We urge Wicklow County Council to:
Maintain the current traffic-light system, which offers the highest level of control and protection for pedestrians.
Upgrade and strengthen the existing lights, ensuring better reliability and visibility.
Improve pedestrian crossings, adding clearer markings, safer signal timings, and enhanced accessibility for schoolchildren, parents with prams, and older residents.
Treat pedestrian safety as the priority, especially given the number of children walking to school and childcare facilities.
We believe Wicklow County Council should retain and improve the existing traffic-light system at the Hawkstown Road and Tinakilly Park junction in Rathnew. While some residents have called for a roundabout, it is essential that any decision prioritises what matters most: the safety of children, pedestrians, and vulnerable road users—not just shaving a few minutes off commuting times.
What We’re Asking For
We urge Wicklow County Council to:
Maintain the current traffic-light system, which offers the highest level of control and protection for pedestrians.
Upgrade and strengthen the existing lights, ensuring better reliability and visibility.
Improve pedestrian crossings, adding clearer markings, safer signal timings, and enhanced accessibility for schoolchildren, parents with prams, and older residents.
Treat pedestrian safety as the priority, especially given the number of children walking to school and childcare facilities.
Why is this important?
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.
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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.
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.
