In Dublin 15, councillors say they’re inundated with complaints about slippery leaves on footpaths

So many locals have raised concerns about slippery leaves across paths in Dublin 15 recently, said Sinn Féin Councillor Angela Donnelly at a recent meeting.

“It's no exaggeration. I've had at least 20 different people coming to me with this issue,” she said  at a meeting of the Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart/Castleknock/Ongar Area Committee on 27 November. 

“And I just noticed there – as I was sitting at the meeting today, another one dropped in at quarter to four,” said Donnelly

She commended the council staff's street cleaning, and said it’s good they have “two big sweepers and two small ones”. But, she said, “whatever we’re doing, it just isn't enough at the moment”.

Older residents in particular raise it, she says. “I know some people, they just won't come out and face paths like that.” 

Part of what prompted so many residents to reach out recently was misinformation coming from Fingal’s customer services, said multiple councillors at the meeting. 

Residents were told that the road sweeping schedule was suspended from October to January, they said. Many read that as no sweeping at all. 

Council administrative officer Deirdre Sinclair at the meeting apologised for that.

“Yes, there has been confusion, I suppose, over communication issued regarding leaf removal and street cleaning. And to be fair, I acknowledge it could have been worded better,” she said. “I just want to apologise for any confusion raised in that matter.”

The Operations Department does sweep and clean the roads and footpaths all year round, said a written reply, from senior executive engineer Hugh James, to a question about the issue. “There is no suspension of this work between October and January.” 

It’s just not on the normal schedule, because with all the leaves falling during this period, more time’s devoted to cleaning those up – so there’s less time to do the normal street cleaning done during other periods, James wrote.

Calling for more

Donnelly read out some of the messages she had gotten.

One wrote that the corner at Ravenswood Rise is “shocking and very slippery”, with neighbours blowing leaves from paths onto the road. “The kerbs are not visible at all.” 

Another said after recent storms the week before, street sweepers still hadn’t shown up, and “the leaves are worse and now iced over”.

Labour Party Councillor John Walsh said he had also been contacted on the issue by at least six or seven estates.

James’s written response laid out the challenges as council workers see them.

More leaves are falling this season, of course. Because of that, sweepers fill up more quickly than at other times of year and have to return to depots to empty and come back, he wrote.

“This results in these machines only being able to cover a fraction of the ground they would normally cover, outside this time of year,” he wrote.

Cleaning crews can also be diverted from sweeping and cleaning, if they’re needed to clear gullies and prevent flooding, he wrote.

Councillors spoke supportively of the two main schemes put in place by the council to deal with the falling leaves.

The council gives biodegradable bags and skip bags to residents’ groups and Tidy Towns groups. And it runs a community composting initiative, making leaf-mould cages available to estates. 

The second of these has ramped up. The council now counts more than 500 leaf cages across the county during autumn, according to the litter management plan. 

But it should be expanded further or on offer for longer, said Fine Gael Councillor Ted Leddy. “Most people don't realise the problem with the leaves until October or mid-October.”

Walsh said his estate used three leaf-mould cages but some residents had mistakenly thought more weren’t available.

Others thought the council was only giving bags to organised groups, which also wasn’t the case in the end, he said.

“That was clarified by the director of operations of the council meeting,” he said.

“There’s a huge demand for that,” Walsh said. “It’s a really beneficial initiative.”

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.