A Kildare County Councillor has claimed that bus drivers are “the worst culprits” for reckless driving on a busy road in Maynooth, as concerns over road safety, congestion and pedestrian risk were raised at a recent council meeting.
The comments were made by Fianna Fáil Cllr Donna Phelan at the Clane-Maynooth Municipal District meeting held on Friday, June 5, during discussions on safety issues along the Moyglare Road corridor.
Cllr Phelan said: “It’s all down to driver behaviour.” She added that bus drivers “are the worst culprits” when it comes to reckless driving in the area.
Her remarks came as councillors discussed a series of motions calling for urgent safety improvements near the Maynooth Education Campus, where multiple schools and Maynooth University contribute to heavy daily traffic volumes.
One motion submitted by Cllr Phelan called for urgent upgrades to pedestrian crossings on Moyglare Road, including the repainting of zebra crossings and the repair and activation of flashing beacon lights. She said these measures were necessary “in the interest of pedestrian and student safety”.
A second motion requested a wider traffic and road safety review of the Moyglare Road corridor, particularly during peak school and university hours, citing increasing congestion linked to the education campus and nearby residential developments.
The motion also called for both immediate and long-term measures to improve road safety, traffic flow and active travel infrastructure along the route. It was seconded by councillors from both Fine Gael and the Labour Party.
A separate motion from Social Democrats Cllr Peter Melrose also called for a review of the Moyglare Hall junction, with a focus on pedestrian and cyclist safety. That motion was seconded by Fine Gael Cllr William Durkan.
Cllr Melrose also raised concerns that the existing cycle lane on Moyglare Road is “unusable” and highlighted safety risks linked to shared road space. He also noted that a serious road traffic incident had recently occurred in the area.
In response, a senior engineer from Kildare County Council said the local authority is reviewing lighting in the area and confirmed the project “will get this moving”. The engineer also said that while space constraints exist, the current road layout represented “a dramatic improvement” on previous conditions.
Cllr Phelan later suggested introducing colour-coded road markings similar to those used on the Straffan Road, and highlighted the scale of traffic pressure in the area, stating: “There are around 2,500 students up there.”
The council is expected to continue reviewing potential safety measures for the Moyglare Road corridor as part of ongoing traffic assessments in the region.
