Chapter 13 Roads
The Council welcomes the recognition in the strategy of the critical nature of roads as part of an effective and sustainable transport system. As noted above, roads form the main transport arteries across the State and provide the corridors for car, public transport (buses, taxis and some sections of Luas), cycling, walking and freight movement. The Council has a number of important road schemes that it is developing with TII and others. It is important that the Strategy supports the delivery of such infrastructure as it is a vital part of the overall sustainable transport strategy and will ensure that the transport network is fit for purpose.
The Council welcome the intention in the strategy to further manage, develop and enhance the national road network including the delivery of the following projects:
- N2 Slane Bypass and associated public realm and sustainable transport enhancements in Slane Village;
- N2 Upgrade from the M2 Rath Roundabout to Kilmoon Cross to address safety issues;
- Junction enhancements and lane layout changes, including bus lane provision, to enhance safety, legibility and bus priority along the N3 between Junction 1 and Junction 4;
The significant change in approach in the Strategy regarding the Leinster Orbital Route which will not now be progressed as per previous studies, is noted. Measure Road 6 proposes that TII and the Local Authorities will deliver online improvements to existing road carriageways, and localised schemes on national and regional roads, to cater for orbital traffic movement, where issues related to the safety and capacity of the network have been identified. Orbital traffic movement on roads such as R152. R155, R125, R157 and other local roads is a significant feature in the south of County Meath. This is partly linked to tolling on radial routes into the Capital and traffic congestion in and around the M50. The new proposal in the Strategy will present a number of challenges and is in itself a scheme which requires a considerable amount of analysis. The Council request early engagement with the TII and NTA on this proposal particularly in light of the requirement in the strategy that ’ It is recommended that confirmation of consistency with the Strategy is obtained from the Authority in advance of a road authority seeking development consent for a particular road scheme. ‘.
The Council supports the inclusion of Measure Road 8 and welcomes the commitment that the NTA, in collaboration with TII and the relevant Local Authorities, will develop and construct an appropriate road link between the N3 and N4 national roads to improve resilience on the network.
In relation to both Measure Road 6 and 8 the Council also would like more clarity on the priority of these schemes having regard to funding provided for in the National Development Plan 2021-30 and recent advice received from TII.