Traffic Calming Plans on Display
Please note that the plans for traffic calming works are now on display in Julianstown post office. The works outlined provide for pedestrian traffic lights more footpaths and cycle lanes and will undoubtedly increase the safety of the village for pedestrians and cyclists. Meath County Council is liasing with Julianstown Residents Association on the plan details. But if you have any comments please contact the association
residents@julianstown.com
Irish Times Article - Call for commuter trains on Dublin to Navan line
Irish Times Article - Call for commuter trains on Dublin to Navan lineMore of the same in Irish Times October 25
Over 600 commuters have signed an on-line petition calling for Irish Rail to put commuter trains on the existing Dublin to Navan railway line that passes through Drogheda.
The Meath On Track campaign claims that two express trains daily would take 1,500 commuters off the rush-hour gridlocked roads linking Meath to the capital.
The rail line is currently used for freight, but campaign spokesman Proinsias MacFhearghusa says upgrading it to take commuter trains should be given priority, as should reopening the train line from Dublin to Kells via Navan, Ratoath and Dunshaughlin.
Irish Rail has confirmed it plans to open a station at Dunboyne, Co Meath, with a park-and-ride facility at nearby Pacetown, but Mr MacFhearghusa says this is not suitable for many commuters.
"The big problem with the Dunboyne extension is that it isn't a rail solution for Meath. It will go as far as the Dublin-Meath border where it stops, and when the M3 opens most of us living in Meath will have to pay two motorway tolls each way to get to Dunboyne as well as park-and-ride charges, and that is before we even pay for our rail tickets.
"Thousands of people left Dublin and bought homes in Meath believing that the railway lines would reopen. Now they do not have the quality of life they expected, and their children are suffering because their parents cannot find work near their homes."
Among those who have signed the petition is Martin Reilly, who leaves his home between Navan and Kells at 6.15am to get to work on the East Wall Road for 7.45am.
He has three children aged between two and 14, and says he is missing quality time with them .
He says the same journey took 50 minutes five years ago, and he believes the congestion on the roads "is getting worse every day. "
A spokesman for Irish Rail said the Drogheda to Navan line would cost €100 million to upgrade to allow it take commuter trains, and to do this would only add to the existing pressure from the growing numbers using the Drogheda to Dublin service.
With the plans to develop the line from Dunboyne to Clonsilla and into Dublin, he said it would be almost "irresponsible" to upgrade the Drogheda to Navan line.
The company also plans to open a docklands station to take the extra capacity that the Dunboyne station will create.
Drogheda Independent Devotes Page to Tolls
The Drogheda Indo devoted the full front page of it's DI Plus section to the tolls and how they affect Drogheda last week. In a feature headlined "Drogheda pays a heavy toll", Eoin Reynolds gives us the pig picture on the "only town in Ireland that is directly tolled". The article goes on the claim that Meath and Louth county council rake in Euro 1M per year in rates, while Drogheda Council gets nothing. Notably Louth TD Fergus O'Dowd calls for some of this revenue to go to Drogheda.
The Donore Road tolls come in for heavy criticisms since they are hardly used and seem to be loss making. There is also concern that facility to waive the second toll for traffic entering and leaving Drogheda on this route is not being advertised. There is mixed reaction from business. On the positive side it is now easier for deliveries to be made to certain locations in the town. But on the negative businessess relying on motor way access feel the toll is deterring custom.
Link to toll stories (registration required)On the Meath side it is clear that virtually no money is flowing from tolls rates to benefit local communities. In fact the opposite is true. A separate story in the same edition points out that Meath County Council is in fact liquidating its assets in East Meath in order to reduce its debt while at the same time pressing ahead with the construction of new offices in Navan. The council is set to sell seven acres of zoned land in Bettystown despite the overwhelming need for sites for community facilities, schools and social housing. Significantly the article states that this issue will be translated into votes for politicians.
Link to Bettystown Land Story (registration required)Julianstown.Com has consistently pointed out the disgraceful traffic situation here citing the tolls and poor planning of motorway exits causing huge traffic flows through the small scenic village. Significantly both politicians and local authority cite lack of funds to bypass or relocate the Drogheda motorway exit. However it is now becoming clear that the local population is not accepting these excuses and it will significantly determine voting preference in the next general election.
Traffic Plans on Display until Nov 11
24 Hour Garage Opens
Driving to work this morning I noticed that the new garage opened on the outskirts of Julianstown will be open 24 hours. So now we have two 24 hour garages in the Julianstown area, but no shop in the village. No doubt the fact that there is a huge traffic volume flowing on this road and the proximity to the motorway exit makes both of these businesses economically viable. One trucker emailed me to say that one of the reasons that trucks come through Julianstown is to avail of services which are not available on the motorway.
Is the road from Gormanston to Drogheda to become one long stripmall as time goes on.
Pat Rabbitte Visits Julianstown
Labour Party leader, Mr. Pat Rabbitte today paid a visit to Julianstown to meet a delegation of local representatives. Mr. Rabbitte took 1/2 an hour out of his busy schedule to meet representatives of the Pride of Place group and the residents' association. Mr. Rabbitte was accompanied on his visit by Labour's candidate for the forthcoming election, Mr. Dominic Hannigan.
As the party strolled from the school down to the village centre Mr Rabbitte was brought up to date on the activities of locals to improve Julianstown. The pride we have in our beautiful village was also emphasised. Mr. Rabbitte was also given an extensive briefing on the major traffic issues in the village but wasn't drawn on what his party's policy was on the issue. He pointed to major infrastructural deficiencies throughout the country. No doubt we will be hearing more on this from Mr. Hannigan in the months to come.
Rabbitte was particularly interested in child care provisions, an issue which appears to be top of the list of issues for the next election.
Mr. Rabbitte was finally presented with a paper on the issues raised along with materials supporting the importance of this issue from national and local press. The residents association will continue to escalate this in preparation for the next election.
LabourDominic Hannigan
Meath TD Points to M1 Toll Disaster
Meath TD FG Shane McEntee pointed to Julianstown in a call not to toll the M3 Navan motorway. In an article in the September 17th edition of the Meath Chronicle he pointed to the crazy situation in Julianstown. Read the excerpt:
Meanwhile, Meath East FG TD, Shane McEntee, has demanded an urgent review of the proposal to toll the new M3 motorway.
The Drogheda bypass and its toll bridge was an example of tolling not being the right way forward in Ireland, said Deputy McEntee. "The reality of tolling the Drogheda bypass is that it has forced thousands of cars and heavy trucks onto the roads of Drogheda, Julianstown and Slane," he said.
Julianstown, which runs alongside the M1 motorway, now caters for traffic volumes in excess of 20,000 vehicles per day, 1,500 of which are heavy goods vehicles. A significant percentage of those vehicles using Slane and Julianstown are choosing to avoid the tolls on the M1 motorway, he added.
He predicted that when the M3 is completed, cars and, more particularly, heavy goods vehicles in an attempt to avoid tolls would use the already over-stretched roads through towns like Dunboyne, Ratoath and Dunshaughlin.
There was also an interesting insight into how local authorities must fund their infrastructure in the same article. Basically central government will only pay 50% max for the rail link from Navan to Dublin, the council has to raise the rest by rezoning and taking a levy from new houses built on the land. This model was used in Midleton county Cork where there was massive rezoning in small villages to fund a rail link to Cork city.
So in other words landowners get rich from rezoning, the government ends up recouping its share from stamp duty and VAT on new houses and the price of the houses is increased due to the levy which no doubt is passed on to the purchasers. In otherwords ordinary people pay for the full costs through indirect taxation. The Council meanwhile still has to provide the services to the land and pay for 1/2 of the transport link, thus robbing it of the funds to provide essential services elsewhere in the county.
This is quite startling.
Link to full articleAnother Article
Plaque in Gormanston Station
Saw this early one morning before getting the train
