Traffic Returns

Was it a surprise to any resident using the main roads that with the return to school came the return to traffic jams - especially the Kentstown Road?

Before the summer holidays we became accustom to the 2km journey through Johnstown taking 30 minutes by road.

Local changes having an Impact.

The road works in Navan Town Centre are adding to this traffic misery. Until those are completed late October they will continue to impact on both the surrounding Kentstown Road and Dublin Road and add to our delays.

Meath Chronicle - The plans to transform Navan town centre are to go on public displayThis is the first phase of the Council’s ‘Navan 2030 Plan’, designed to make Navan a better place to 'live, work and visit.'

Meath Chronicle - Traffic management a Traffic chaos continues for motorists in Navan today as local mayor Tommy Reilly blasts the poor traffic management of the works as a

Thes images, provided by one of our Residents, of the Kentstown Road don't offer you much hope. Metges Road one morning was 'bumper to bumper' up to the roundabout it was still moving along between 830 and 845am.

We know what's coming.

What can be done to alleviate the current issue and future proof Johnstown for what is to come?

If you haven't been following our magazine then read this previous edition article.

Read Article : What are the latest proposals to develope and expand our community.

We know the safety risks.

This week was a stark reminder of the misery a traffic jam brings and the dangers associated with them for the school children. Again, these links take you to previous edition articles.

What can anyone do about it?

Some suggestions:

Open the Rear Gates.

The proposal to open the back gate for the school traffic to exit onto the Old Johnstown has received over 500 petition signatures and perhaps more will be inclined to sign after this reminder.

There are obvious objections to every solution where traffic is proposed to be released elsewhere and it comes at a high cost to improve roads.

Open The Gate to keep the Children SafeThe traffic to the campus is over capacity and Dunville (new housing estate) will be exiting at our school gate increasing the safety risk to all of our school going community. Please sign

Promote Cycling or Walking

Whilst the weather is good parents and students might be inclined to cycle or walk so perhaps we should be encouraging this with neighbours grouping together to chaperone younger children.

Traffic Warden

The pedestrian crossings of the roundabout significantly hinders the smooth flow so perhaps the return of the traditional Traffic (Lollipop) Warden could improve this with managed crossings.

Junior Warden Programme Launched At Swinford National SchoolKeeping our pupils safe is our priority and this new scheme will play a major role in doing that. Read more about it on our website.

Lollipop men and women are to be fitted with hidden camerasA pilot scheme is taking place in Mayo and Kildare.

Adjust the School Opening Times

Allowing school children to enter school premises earlier or even staggering their opening times may be a viable solution but that’s a politically challenging proposal.

Providing a covered walkway or waiting area outside school property could allow for students to be dropped off earlier and still have somewhere to shelter whilst they wait for the school gates to open.

New Roads

Removing sections of the nearby greens to create a ‘school access lane’ is costly for brief use.

New Drop Off Point

Creating a school drop off location outside the school grounds is possible for the secondary school children and could increase the safety for the younger children.

Traffic Lights

The bottle necks at the Kentstown Road, Ardboyne Bridge junction and the Dublin Road to the south can only be managed via traffic lights and getting the sequence right has been trial an error for a number of years.

What’s Going to Happen?

For the moment there is no plan in action to tackle the congestion so it’s not looking good. Many more local homes are being built and the future development north of Johnstown will bring considerably more traffic.

It appears that our once quiet rush hour days are long gone unless you have a viable solution.

Public Meeting

Cllr Francis Deane held a public meeting for Johnstown Wood Residents @ O'Briens, Thursday 31st Aug with a host of concerns. On the Meeting Agenda.

Traffic Management Plan for the School
Traffic Survey
School Campus Pedenstrian Access onto (the back road) L5050
Boundary wall between Johnstown Wood and Dunville Estate
Election of committee to represent Johnstown Wood.

We'll report on this as a late entry but suspect the evening won't be long enough for a complete discussion on such contentious issues.

Historic Johnstown

If you want to see what Johnstown looked like many years ago check out Johnstown Village Navan Facebook page showing images of familiar places and the changes over the years.