A BUSY street in Dublin is set to close to traffic two times a day going forward – as part of a major new plan.
Dublin City Council has announced that Newbrook Road in Donaghmede will become the capital’s first School Street.
As a result, it will benefit students attending St. Kevin’s JNS, Scoil Cholmcille, Scoil Bhríde and Holy Trinity schools.
A School Street is a calming method used to reduce traffic outside a school.
It is achieved by restricting access to the street during school drop-off and pick-up times.
Parents and guardians will be asked to either walk, cycle, scoot or use public transport to get to the school instead of driving.
If driving, they are asked to park away from the school and walk from there.
Limited access is allowed to the street during the School Street operation times, for students with additional needs and emergency services.
The plan is being implemented as part of the Safe Routes to School Programme, funded by the National Transport Authority.
Dublin City Council is working in partnership with the National Transport Authority, An Taisce Green Schools and the school community to develop ‘front-of-school’ treatments for schools on the programme.
It aims to improve safety at the school gate, alleviate congestion and increase the number of students who walk, cycle or scoot to school.
Newbrook Road is a busy residential street during school drop-off and pick-up times, with 1,000 students heading to and from the four schools in the area.
As it has a cul-de-sac, it was deemed an ideal location to trial a School Street, which took place between June and December 2024.
After the trial, over 80 per cent of those surveyed reported that it made the street safer.
Another 15 per cent of people reported a change from driving to using sustainable transport for their journey to school.
Walking & Cycling Officer with the Council’s Traffic Section, Ailish Lally, said: “We were delighted to see the implementation of this School Street following the successful trial.
“The removal of traffic from this section of the street instantly made it safer for students on their journey to school.
“Using active travel modes such as walking, cycling or scooting to school has huge benefits for students.
“It’s encouraging to see that there was an increase in active travel modes during the trial and we hope to see this trend continue.”
