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Locals demand action on undesirable underpass

Thursday, 07 August 2008

Southsiders are demanding that Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council take action on a filthy underpass which they say is detracting from the Stillorgan area.
The route which links Patrician Villas to the Stillorgan Shopping Centre dates from the 1970s and is in a state of considerable disrepair. It is badly lit, covered in graffiti and the floor is dirty and broken in places. There are continual problems with litter at both entrances.
Residents say the underpass could be improved by putting new lighting inside, installing a vandal proof surface on the walls and resurfacing the floor. Landscaping the areas at both ends would also go a long way to making the underpass more attractive for users, according to locals.
Margaret O’Reilly, chairperson of the Patrician Residents’ Association, said her members had put up with the appalling condition of the underpass for years and said its poor condition “detracted” from the whole community.
“We need CCTV cameras in the underpass,” she said. “The graffiti from one end to the other is disgusting.
“It is not being cleaned or swept by Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council on a regular basis. It is also being used as a toilet by people on their way back home from the pub.
“Kids and teenagers gather there drinking at the weekend and they harass people going through the underpass.”
According to Ms O’Reilly, this occurs early in the evening and at the weekends.
“There is a green on both sides of the entrance to the underpass and a wall,” she said. “On the other side of the wall is the N11. There is graffiti on that wall and it hasn’t been painted in years. The grass is cut, but there is hedging which is never cleaned out or cut back.
Total
“The lighting in the underpass itself is also very poor and needs to be replaced,” she added.
“We are sick and tired of getting on to the council about this. They come out now and again and paint it and that is the sum total of what they do.”
Cllr Barry Conway (FF) uses the underpass every day to get to the N11 QBC. He described his daily journey through it as a depressing and unpleasant experience.
“In the interests of road safety we should be encouraging people to use the underpass,” he stated.
Cllr Nessa Childers (GP) said underpasses only work if they are properly maintained.
“People have to feel safe walking through them,” she said. “Graffiti, bad lighting and surfaces do not help.”
The local area plan for Stillorgan which was adopted by the council in 2007 contains a commitment to upgrade the underpass but councillors and residents say they want this important work accelerated.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the council said that according to their Environmental Services Department, the Stillorgan underpass is cleaned and generally maintained on a weekly basis.
“Problems frequently occur on both sides of the underpass with youths gathering there at the weekend,” the statement reads.
Overgrown
“The council acknowledges that the shrubberies have overgrown and are in need of maintenance therefore arrangements will be made to have the shrubberies in the vicinity of the underpass cut back and litter removed.
“Graffiti is a recurring problem in this area also. The graffiti in this underpass has been cleaned on at least two occasions during the past year and is scheduled for a further clean in the near future.
“The council takes this issue very seriously and further clean ups are scheduled to tackle this problem.”
The statement adds: “It is council policy to promote walking in the county and the provision of the underpass at this location achieves this objective. The council will investigate the issues raised by the Patrician Residents’ Association with a view to improving the pedestrian environment at this location.”

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