Transport

Submission to Metrolink Consultation. Reserve Route to Bray. The Metro is a good idea, however the study is too short term and does not deal with possible future expansion to Cherrywood and Bray. The connection is envisaged as a LUAS, however this is likely to prove to not have enough capacity. A route should be reserved to bring Metro to Bray before Cherrywood is built. The existing route from Bride’s Glen to use the existing old rail bridge involves 2 very sharp bends which LUAS can take but a Metro…

€30,000 has been allocated to improve this junction to make it safer for pedestrians and cars. At present it is too wide which allows cars to go fast and too wide for safe pedestrian crossing. I welcome this safety improvement and also the grant of an increase of €388,000 for the County’s road improvements grant.

The Council is currently studying the route for this and expects to have a report in February. This road was put on the plan in 1989 and while both ends have been made by builders no plan exists for the middle. The middle is very narrow and dangerous. The population has massively expanded and there are now 4 large schools on the road. I have been pressing for a long time for this to be improved so that children can safely cycle and walk to school and for the Redford…

Irish Rail is protecting the rail line along Greystones South beach for about 300M with steel piling and rock armour. This work will take till Christmas together with more protection further South towards Kilcoole. ‘I am pleased that this is being done as erosion had washed away the South part of the beach while building up the North part so it is much wider than in the past’.

On Monday Wicklow County Council approved a Development Plan to 2022 which plans for an increase from 142,000 this year to 158,000 in 2022. This is in accordance with population growth targets handed down by the Minister for Environment. However Transport Ireland has no plans to improve poor transport which currently results in 5km traffic jams on the N11 from Kilpedder on weekdays. ‘This is more houses without infrastructure’ TII’s has: Spent 3 years studying the M50/N11 traffic jams, since it agreed with Minister Varadakar to do this in 2013, but…

Bray, with 2974 daily users, is the 2nd busiest suburban station and Greystones, 1951 users, is the 5th busiest. These are high usage figures and show how many people are dependent on the DART. Cllr Derek Mitchell said ‘The figures for Greystones are particularly high, equivalent to 11% of the population, given the limited service that operates because of the single line track from Bray’. The busiest suburban station is Dun Laoghaire, with Blackrock 3rd and Malahide 4th. The 4 Wicklow stations South of Greystones only have a few trains a day…