NEW CHURCH CAR PARK …

Church of the Divine Word, Marley Grange, Dublin 16

New Church Car Park

The original church car park was completed in 1984 at the time of Church construction. It was a simple bitmac surface with no drainage or markings and with 3 landscaped islands, one of which contained the sole lighting column. The new church car park was designed to cater for:

• Church and Parish Centre : church ceremonies, weddings, funerals, recitals, social events, etc
• Divine Word National School: the greater use of cars has created a need for ordered drop-off/pick-up of pupils adjacent to the school.

Accordingly, there are competing requirements in terms of layout and operation, while activities can extend into the hours of darkness. There are 3 vehicular entrances to the car park, the dominant one being from Marley Rise. Further, there are 4 pedestrian entrances. Recognising these constraints, the over-riding objective in the design of the new car park was to create a safe environment for all users at all times of the day, given a reasonable expectation of good user behaviour. Following detailed site surveys, a number of potential layouts were developed. The chosen design consists of a herringbone layout with one-way clockwise traffic movement. Critical to the design is the creation of safe pedestrian paths or refuges, the main one being a raised path running the length of the car park. In short, the design intent was all about ‘bringing order to the chaos’. The completed car park delivers the following:

• A proper traffic management system with fully lined car park.
• 40 lined car park spaces with 2 disabled spaces.
• Designated coloured pedestrian routes for church and school users
• Surface water drainage connected to the Council system
• Public lighting
• A site for St Joseph’s Bell

In ensuring the safe use of the facility, there are a number of important rules for drivers as follows:

• Follow the direction arrows at all times – no short-circuiting
• Use designated parking spaces only – no parking on hatched areas or paths
• Always drive in to spaces and reverse out
• Yield right of way to pedestrians at all times
• Observe the speed limit of 5 kph at all times

Similarly, pedestrians should:

• Use the designated pedestrian paths only
• Observe normal ‘Rules of the Road’ at crossings and vehicle conflict points
• Ensure that children are supervised and guided safely to their destination

In conclusion, the new car park is a private Parish Community facility to be used at the individual user’s risk. Please respect the facility and other users.