Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 15 Nov 1994

Vol. 447 No. 1

Ceisteanna—Questions. Written Answers. - Pedestrian Crossings.

Richard Bruton

Question:

192 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Dublin Corporation is still using the warrant sheet produced by An Foras Forbartha Teo in 1986 in relation to the provision of pedestrian crossings and that this system takes no account of road safety issues until after an accident has happened; and if he will review these warrants to take greater account of pedestrian safety in balancing the interests of pedestrians and motorised traffic. [3178/94]

Minister for the Environment (Mr. M. Smith)

Guidelines governing the provision of pedestrian crossings were prepared by An Foras Forbartha and made available to road authorities who are responsible for the provision of such facilities. The guidelines outline suggested criteria to justify the installation of facilities and are designed to ensure that diverse situations are assessed objectively and on an equal footing so as to secure an adequate, but not excessive, use of such facilities.

The Guidelines do not confine the provision of pedestrian crossing facilities to locations with accident records. They allow for the provision of facilities at other locations where pedestrian difficulties may be experienced due to factors such as road width or the speed or volume of traffic.

I propose to ask the National Roads Authority, as part of its 1995 work programme, to review the guidelines in the light of experience, with a view to determining whether revisions are required.