asked the Minister for Finance if he will give details of the number of road accidents in the Phoenix Park, Dublin 15, during the past three years; the number which took place on the main road and elsewhere and the number which included injuries to persons or animals; and if roundabouts will be provided at each intersection as a means of intersecting and slowing traffic.
Written Answers. - Phoenix Park, (Dublin) Road Accidents.
76.
The most recent statistics on traffic accidents in the Phoenix Park cover the three year period to 31 December 1986 and were supplied by the Garda Síochána. The total number of recorded accidents in the park in that period was 236, of which 142 occurred on the main road. These figures do not include a large number of accidents which were not reported each year. This fact is acknowledged by the Garda and is borne out by park statistics on the number of deer killed each year, as against the number of reported accidents involving deer. The total number of reported accidents involving personal injuries in this period was 66. There were also three fatalities. Approximately 40 deer are killed each year as a result of traffic accidents.
A study group on traffic in the Phoenix Park comprising representatives of Government Departments, local authorities and State bodies with an interest in traffic, produced a report in 1985 on traffic control in the park. The provision of roundabouts at junctions, as a means of reducing accidents and preventing speeding on the main road, was considered by the study group but was rejected on the grounds of cost of the necessary ancillary lighting and the fact that such lighting would be aesthetically unacceptable.
The study group recommended instead the closing of certain minor roadways to traffic, the delineation of the main road and resurfacing to provide better skid resistance, the re-erection of the piers at Parkgate Street and the closure of some side gates during peak hours. These recommendations were incorporated in a management plan for the Phoenix Park launched by the Commissioners of Public Works last year. Certain minor roads have already been closed to vehicular traffic and White's Gate has also been closed at peak times. Work on the resurfacing and delineation of the main road, including the creation of hard shoulders and the narrowing of the central carriageway, is now almost complete. The re-erection of the two central gate piers at Parkgate Street is also well advanced and will be completed shortly.