Killincarrig Residents Tired Of Life In The Fast Lane

Matt McKerrow, Mary McGee and Melissa Hammond with Jerry TUES14JULY26

ust as Delgany is having to deal with becoming little more than a quaint access road with coffee-to-go, Killincarrig too has found itself becoming part of Wicklow County Council’s ever-growing Skalextric approach to town planning.

It was a decades-long issue for the late, great Danny Hatton, and now, with the added bonus of a housing explosion, it’s the next generation who have to fight for their right to live life in the slow lane once again.

It was the argument put forward by the Killincarrig Community Association at a recent Greystones Municipal District meeting. The Village Enhancement Scheme is moving up a gear, and now is the time, the residents realise, to create a safer, and sweeter, Killincarrig. Where that all-day traffic can hopefully calm the feck down.

A native of the village, Gráinne Keogh makes the simple argument echoed by many around here that the roads and infrastructure haven’t kept pace. “Too many drivers now use our residential streets as a shortcut,” she tells the Guide, “often travelling far too fast. The junction at New Road, Carrig Villas and Castle Villas just by The Carraig is another accident waiting to happen, cars coming through at speed at a point where visibility is a real issue.”

It doesn’t help that the yellow box at this junction has faded to zero.

“This isn’t about stopping progress or opposing the Village Enhancement Scheme,” adds Grainne. “It’s about making sure the safety of the people who live here comes first. Traffic calming, lower speeds and a proper traffic management plan should be in place before any works begin.”

On top of that Greystones Municipal District presentation, we asked Gráinne and the Killincarrig Community Association to put together an op-ed on just what’s at stake here, and what needs to be done…

Killincarrig always seems to be an afterthought.

It is our home, yet for thousands of motorists every day it is simply the quickest route between Greystones, Bray and the N11.

Cars race past our homes and our village on their way elsewhere. Impatient motorists blare their horns or scream at us when we try to pull out of driveways safely. They speed by our residential roads while we cling to our children’s hands with a mere 50cm between us.

The Killincarrig Community Association presented our case to the council at June’s GMD to highlight the decades-long frustration that every Killincarrig resident has had with the poor traffic conditions. The Village Enhancement Scheme is soon approaching, and there are well-founded concerns and fears that the traffic conditions will worsen with it.

Our message to the Council is straightforward: before the roadworks begin, put the safety of Killincarrig’s residents first by preparing and implementing a Traffic Management Plan.

The community has been campaigning heavily since the 1990s on this issue, after a local resident’s father was severely injured in a hit and run. With construction expected to begin in early 2027 for the Village Enhancement Scheme, now is the time to put traffic management measures in place rather than reacting after problems arise.

None of what residents are asking is radical. We are asking for a traffic management plan before construction begins, a residential speed limit of 30km/h, proper enforcement and signage, and traffic calming measures that reflect the fact that people live here.

Mill Road is plagued by two particular issues – its historic residential fabric facing onto a main heavily used road, and its uphill geography creating blind spots on an already narrow road. The existing pathways at times are too narrow for two people to walk abreast, forcing pedestrians onto the road.

As an architect, I spend my working life thinking about how places function. As a resident of Mill Road, I experience every day what happens when a village becomes a through route instead of a place. As a mother of two young children, I find it difficult to use the pedestrian routes. As we don’t have the width, I physically cannot wheel my buggy and hold my 4-year-olds’ hands at the same time to simply walk to the shops. If I want to go anywhere with my two children, I feel I am forced to drive.

On April 18th this year there was a collision on Mill Road. A car was stopped to allow a resident to pull into their driveway. Another car sped around the corner and crashed into the stopped vehicle. A garda report was filed. There was a young girl in the back of the car that was rear-ended. Thankfully nobody was hurt; the cars however, were totalled.

Leaving home has also become risky in Carrig Villas, Castle Villas and New Road, especially for families, older residents, children and wheelchair users. Carrig Villas and Castle Villas are used as a rat run between the R761 and Mill Road. Speeding traffic puts residents and people using our local green space, The Sandpit, at risk.

On April 10th, a child walking on the footpath near Footprints Montessori was nearly struck by a speeding car; the incident was reported to the Gardai. We ask that Carrig Villas not be included in the diversion route when the Part 8 works begin.

The Village Centre
The proposed Village Enhancement Scheme will undoubtedly help improve the village – but the current issue is still access and egress onto the roads of the existing residents. People speed through the area. It is the use and perception of the village as a thoroughfare which is the most damaging – but it is not a road; it is a village centre. With a pub, a newsagents, a winery, a restaurant, bike stands and homes.

Establishing it as its own place requires the traffic to be calmed – otherwise, it’s just a shortcut for commuting.

On the May 5th, 2026, a pedestrian was crossing the road to the pub at the traffic light. A speeding car ignored the red light. The pedestrian was missed. This was reported to Wicklow County Council.

A thorough assessment and the subsequent improvements suggested will significantly enhance traffic safety for both drivers and pedestrians in our community. We appreciate the council’s attention to these matters and look forward to collaborating with the council to bring these proposals to life and create a Killincarrig that reflects the needs and aspirations of its residents.

We want to be able to live in our neighbourhood, without the constant threat of high speed, heavy traffic right outside our front door. We simply want to leave our homes without fear, to walk to the shops with our children, to pull safely out of our driveways and to cross our own village without taking our lives in our hands.

Killincarrig 1880-1900

A village which has sustained itself for 700 years is now faced with constant hyper-vigilance because of poor modern infrastructure planning. We live in an era where estates are built around cars, as opposed to communities.

But we are moving towards an era where community will be the most important asset we all have. We need less cars, more bikes, more trains and more tea with our neighbours.

You can check out the original May 2020 Village Enhancement Scheme here, questions raised (and answered) in August 2023 here, and the December 2023 greenlight here.