Save Tara Valley Awareness March Navan

Valley awareness March in Navan

The March takes place on Saturday November 4 2006 beginning at the old CIE railway station in Railway Street at 2pm. This location was chosen to point to the lack of commitment to public transport in putting a motorway ahead of re-opening the railway line.

The Green Party and the Labour Party have given their full support to the March.

Deputy Michael D. Higgins said: “I believe that this is an appalling decision which will affect not only this generation, but generations to come. There needs to be a change made in legislation to stop decisions being made which will have such an influence on future generations of Irish people. This has important implications not only for the people of Meath, but for people throughout Ireland”.

Ciarán Cuffe the Green Party T.D. and spokesman for the Environment will be addressing the March. He said “Carving a motorway through the Tara landscape would be an act of sacrilege. The Green Party believes that safety improvements on the existing road would be a better option.”

At this time of global warming, climate change and peak oil, people must voice their objection to the needless destruction of Ireland’s most sacred site to facilitate a twice-tolled motorway that will lead to the already badly congested Blanchardstown Roundabout bringing no real relief to the commuter. The M3 will bring unspeakable destruction to Ireland’s heritage particularly at the massive floodlit interchange planned for Blundelstown at the foot of the Hill of Tara.

A motorway attracts development and the planning permissions are already being lodged for property at the foot of the hill in the Tara/Skryne Valley.

The March will highlight the fact that viable alternatives do exist, such as an integrated transport system. Despite much talk of re-opening the Navan/Dublin Railway Line the chances of this vital transport link becoming a reality will disappear if the M3 with its two tolls goes ahead. As the M3 will be a Public Private Partnership it will require a specific number of cars through its tolls on a daily basis in order to make it viable. This viability would therefore be seriously compromised with the re-opening of the railway as the volume of traffic would be dramatically reduced and with it the profitability of the project. Ends.

Further information contact: Heather Buchanan, 087-6595056 heather@savetaravalley.com or Rosaleen Allen, 01-8027967 allenrosaleen@hotmail.com.

SAVE TARA SKRYNE VALLEY CAMPAIGN

Further information on the aims of the March

The aim of the March is to create awareness throughout Ireland and internationally that the Tara Valley will be needlessly destroyed by the proposed M3 despite the fact that viable alternatives do exist e.g. an integrated transport system such as the Meath Multiway.

The main points are as follows:

1. The Hill of Tara, which includes the Skryne Valley, is the most sacred and sensitive site in Ireland and is recognised as such throughout the world. With a four laned, double tolled motorway about to be driven through its heart, we believe that there are many more favourable options which have been conveniently ignored.

2. This double tolled, four laned motorway, which all agree will bottleneck at the already seriously congested Blanchardstown Roundabout, will not serve the people of Meath as they are being lead to believe and is a poor substitute for the properly integrated transport system we believe that they deserve.

3. Our group have spoken to thousands of people since our campaign started three years ago. Most of these people are local residents, particularly from the Navan area. We have found that contrary to popular belief, very few people actually want to see the Tara Valley destroyed in this way. What they do want desperately, is a proper, integrated, transport system such as the Meath Multiway which will enable them to commute and move around the area with the relative ease one would expect of one of the world’s most affluent nations. However, all these people have been offered is a motorway and most feel that they have no alternative, irrespective of the destruction caused in its wake!

4. Those Meath residents who still believe that the proposed M3 is the answer to their commuting problem are going to be very sadly disappointed, if it is eventually built! There will be absolutely no benefit to commuters travelling from Navan and Kells as all traffic will simply backup on the existing bottleneck at Blanchardstown Roundabout. Even if there was a Flyover over the Hill of Tara, commuters would still land at Blanchardstown and the same old traffic jam!

5. There are no plans by the NRA to improve the situation at Blanchardstown Roundabout.

6. There are large areas around Clonee and Dunboyne now rezoned for housing development and they will soon also feed into the M3 and therefore add further to the existing congestion at Blanchardstown.

7. Most people are unaware that as part of the proposed M3, there is to be built a huge interchange at Blundelstown, at the foot of the Hill of Tara, where Dalgan Park is currently situated. Apart from also destroying Dalgan Park, this interchange will be floodlit 24 hours a day, lighting up Tara and increasing pollution on all levels. At present, this interchange is quite unnecessary as this is a country area with nowhere to interchange to. Clearly then, this whole area has been designated for redevelopment and will be destroyed accordingly. Is this really what people want? We don’t believe they do!

8. Many commuters will not pay the two tolls on the M3, preferring to cut across country and use the toll-free and under utilised M2 as many are already doing and thereby also missing the congestion at Blanchardstown. Others will resort to the old toll-free N3.

9. With a General Election due next year we propose that the viability of THREE motorways heading north in close parallel be looked at and that a properly thought out integrated transport system be put into place. The possibility of traffic from Kells and Navan being diverted into the under utilised and toll-free M2 should be considered, which would then free up the sensitive Tara Valley area. This would reduce the traffic from Dunshaughlin going south and therefore also at Blanchardstown.

10. The Outer Orbital Motorway which Michael McDowell is now proposing will make the M3 defunct as there will be little interest in a double tolled motorway when there are other cheaper, more efficient options available.

11. Although there has been much talk of a railway from Navan to Dublin, such a project would seriously undermine the financial viability of a PPP Motorway and the projected income expected from the two tolls on the route. Also, the proposed M3 will dissect the old railway line in several places which seems to be counter productive if such a plan is being seriously considered.

Even if people have no interest whatsoever in Irish Heritage and the Tara Valley, the M3 will not solve the current serious traffic problems. It is a lose/lose situation for all those involved – except for those with a vested financial interest in the development!

Possible routes

Chosen route

Toll stations

Photo of previous March - Green Party supporting