Motorways in Ireland

All of the land-use and transportation trends in Ireland show an American pattern of development, with increasing car dependency and journey generation between places of residence, work, shopping and recreation……The dual-carriageway and motorway programme between the main urban centres is being justified on the basis of reducing travel times and achieving good regional distribution of goods and services. But the main effect will be to increase the commuter and urban sprawl belts, without any parallel strategy to increase the modal share of public transport as required by Ireland’s National Cilmate Change Strategy (2000).

Most of the individual elements of the National Development Plan’s inter-urban motorways and dual-carriageways have been approved through oral hearings. Each EIS has been produced and each oral hearing conducted as though it concerned an isolated development – without considering the downstream impact of filtering more traffic into urban centres or generating more car-based sprawl across a wider catchment area….

There is an almost uniform prejudicial assumption that road vehicle numbers must be catered for without any consideration of the knock-on effect of increased emission of greenhouse gases and particle pollutants, congestion generation, and consumption of land and resources; or consideration of more efficient rail and other public transport based strategies….

– from An Taisce Annual Report 2005

spellin , i dont check it ……. i meant nothin against minister cullen

does anyone know why can’t they build a flyover at newlands cross N7??
the government have the money to buy private aircraft to beat the traffic, so why can’t they get rid of serious traffic blackspots ?
when naas road is finshed it will funnel into the cross and cause more delays to the already snarled cross!

Just noting on that link – why are public hearings always held in the Gresham?!

😮 !

Planners reject road plan for first time
An Bord Pleanála makes landmark ruling on proposed inner relief road for Kildare town
Frank McDonald, Environment Editor

An Bord Pleanála has refused planning permission for a proposed inner relief route in Athy, Co Kildare, the first time that the board has rejected any road scheme that came before it.

The 1km route, first proposed in 1975, would run to the south of Duke and Leinster streets from a new roundabout west of the railway bridge on the Dublin road to another new roundabout on the Kilkenny road.

It would have included a new bridge over the Grand Canal and another over the River Barrow. Objectors argued that the route would run right past the rear of Athy’s courthouse – a protected structure – skirting the main square before rising to cross the river. In its decision to refuse permission, An Bord Pleanála said it considered that the proposed route “would fail both as a street and as a relief road because it would continue to bring traffic, including heavy commercial vehicles, through the town centre”.

The board noted, in particular, that the current Athy Development Plan included a proposed southern bypass, which would provide a new crossing of the River Barrow some 500 metres to the south of the inner relief route, but without any need to bridge the Grand Canal.

It said this bypass “offers opportunities for providing linkages between the growing eastern, southern and western suburbs of the town, while leaving the townscape of its historic core intact”, whereas the inner relief route would have “significant adverse effects”.

Spelling these out, the board said the proposed road would materially and adversely affect the character of the town centre of Athy and would detract from its townscape qualities by reason of visual intrusion, noise and general disturbance from traffic.

In reaching this conclusion, the board said it had regard to the composition of protected structures and other buildings of importance in the medieval core of Athy, to existing historic street patterns in the area and to their relationship to the River Barrow.

It considered that the introduction of vehicular traffic, including heavy commercial vehicles, into this “sensitive urban environment” and interference with the pattern of urban spaces would be “contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area”.

The board also ruled that the environmental impact statement (EIS) “is deficient in not adequately addressing the alternatives to this inner relief route in the context of present land use patterns, traffic movements, road developments and environmental constraints”.

Though Dom Hegarty, the inspector who conducted the public inquiry last March, recommended approval, the board said “the totality of the injurious effects on the town of Athy would be unacceptable in the context of proper planning and sustainable development”.

An Taisce welcomed An Bord Pleanála’s decision, saying it was a vindication of its role as a prescribed body under the Planning Acts.

“Kildare County Council weren’t even going to do an EIS until we referred the matter to the board, which directed that it be done,” it added.

Mr Ian Lumley, the trust’s heritage officer, said the case raised questions about the competence of inspectors holding road hearings in relation to how the EU directive on environmental impact assessment is applied, particularly the requirement to consider alternatives.

“More often than not, these inspectors are retired engineers from local authorities or the Department of the Environment, whose thinking on roads seems not to have changed from what was happening in Dublin in the 1980s, when whole streets were being pulled down.”

One of the most vocal opponents of the inner relief route was local solicitor Frank Taffe. He made it clear at the hearing last March that there was no need “to destroy the character of our town” when the alternative of an outer ring road was available.

© The Irish Times

i totally dissagree with you saying it is eight lanes by then …………..
if you notice that there is no hard shoulder , a narrow median in the centre and a bus lane on the other side , you might want to check it again!
as with the other lane it is only a filter lane to the M50 . there IS NO EIGHT LANE ROAD IN IRELAND TECHNICALLY,
OH YES O’CONNELL BRIDGE!!!
ITS A TOTAL DISSGRACE THAT ROAD IS F****** NIGHTMARE
the trees are a healthazard as it looks will fall over on cars that use the road

Incidentally, the Naas Road dual carriageway at Bluebell was built in the early 1940s – is it the oldest such road in the state?

That early?
Suppose we tend to associate dual-carriageways with motorways, which didn’t come about till the 50s in the UK anyway…

the rathcoole was the first town to be bypassed in the 50s think
Andrew do you drive ?????
did you pass your D lesssoons? no offense but look at the white lines again there ARE filter lanes , the lines clearly show that
redcow to rathcoole N7
palmerstown to liffy vally N4
are official 3 lane roads

they are for turning left off the M1 because there are two intercahnges very close and by the time you get off one your on the next , especially whern you have a lot of traffic using the M1 who wish to get on and off the the motorway!

Most certainly – there’s tumbleweed to be seen in places.