Transport Plan to Remove M3 Tolls, Accelerate Rail Link with Government

Friday September 19, 2008 22:10

by Brian Guckian & Tadhg Crowley

MODIFICATIONS to the current M3 construction project that would remove tolls, improve quality of life and facilitate the early building of the Navan Rail Link remain on the table with government and can be implemented at any time, according to the promoters of the innovative Meath MASTER Plan, transport researcher Brian Guckian and environmental campaigner Tadhg Crowley.

The promoters lodged the comprehensive Plan with several government departments and Meath Co. Council a year ago, and both the Ministers for Transport and the Environment are to be questioned on its progress when the Dail resumes at the end of the month.

They disputed recent remarks made by Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey TD who claimed that the current M3 project would improve the quality of life of Meath-based commuters: "In fact it is the Meath MASTER Plan - currently on the Minister's desk - that would cut journey times and ensure safer journeys; the unsustainable, costly, large-scale motorway thronged with traffic represented by the current double-tolled M3 project would actually make journeys slower overall and quality of life much worse for those forced to use it", they stated.

The MASTER Plan would inherently create more local jobs, reducing the need for so many local people to travel long-distances to a job in Dublin, a problem which was not being acknowledged nor addressed by the government nor by the Minister. The toll-free, sustainable transport measures set out in the Plan would give the public more healthy and less stressful travel options by rail and by coach, whilst at the same time cutting traffic volumes in the region.

The plan promoters have also contradicted recent claims made by Meath County Council Director of Economic Development, Kevin Stewart, that the double-tolled M3 would improve access to Dublin for north Meath. "Again, on the contrary, it is the measures detailed in the Meath MASTER Plan that would bring about a boost to businesses and improved regional access, not the current M3 project as Mr. Stewart claims", they said.

More roads would just mean more congestion in the Dublin region - estimated to cost up to € 2.5 billion per annum by the Dublin Chamber of Commerce - and within Meath due to the increased number of cars that a large-scale motorway would encourage. This would bring a negative economic impact instead of a beneficial one, as was being claimed by the Council.

In contrast, a combination of road, rail and coach services, immediately implemented by way of the MASTER Plan, would by far increase access to Meath, and also local job creation in the areas of heritage tourism, sustainable business practices and local market farming would keep Meath euros at home, overcoming the destructive government practice of focusing the majority of new business development away from the regions and towards Dublin.

However instead the Council was destroying valuable farmland and heritage resources that could bring valuable revenue to the county, and by way of the current M3 project, were actually ensuring that revenues would continue to be taken out of the county by encouraging ever-greater long-distance commuting.

Mr. Guckian and Mr. Crowley said the Meath MASTER Plan would additionally protect the Tara-Skryne (Gabhra) Valley and allowed for reconstruction of national monuments such as that at Lismullin for educational and tourism purposes as well as the creation of a UNESCO World Heritage Park.

By cutting traffic in the Navan - Dublin corridor by up to two-thirds and offering choice of rail, coach and toll-free road transport modes, the MASTER Plan would substantially reduce CO2 emissions, costly congestion and oil consumption. It would also generate estimated tourism revenues of at least € 70 million per annum, cut journey times and would faciliate improved, sustainable access to the region.

It uses the existing "footprint" of the M3, avoiding any re-routing and retaining bypasses of Dunshaughlin and Navan.

Meath residents could save up to € 2600 per annum in tolls, plus additional amounts in fuel costs and other charges, if the Plan was implemented.

Overall, quality of life would be improved, with more local jobs created and more healthy and less stressful journeys made possible via the rail and coach options, and with traffic substantially reduced on the regional road network.

ENDS

Contact:

Brian Guckian
railprojects@eircom.net
087 9140105

Tadhg Crowley
tadhgcrowley@gmail.com
085 7159013

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Comments (9 of 9)

M3 and quality

by thegreenspirit - private

Sun Sep 21, 2008 19:52

thegreenspirit at gmail dot com

No road brings quality, clean air, water and intact woods brings quality. The M3 has brought utter destruction. As a Meath man I see this everytime I have the misfortune to travel home. Anything that avoids the one driver-one car culture is to be welcomed.

Why?

by Confused

Mon Sep 22, 2008 16:30

Fines for exceeding Carbon Emissions, Fines for proceeding with an illegal road, Fines for lack of environmental impact asessments and dont forget there will be a Tara Tribunal!!! They would rather pay and go through all this than implement the Meath Master Plan.

help

by Support

Tue Sep 23, 2008 16:33

can you give us some ideas on what we can do to help promote the meath master plan? i cant see any reason why the government wont take this option and embrace it with open arms. what can we do ?

Meath MASTER Plan

by meltthecelt

Tue Sep 23, 2008 17:23

Everyone who is interested should bombard and inundate Minister John Gormley demanding why he refuses to embrace and
implement this plan. The plan could be compared to a no winner no loser scenario and herein the campaigners are
compromising, backing down from the original call to re-route the M3, in return for the NRA and the road builders doing
their bit! Both sides meeting half way, to reach a compromise. And it's a solution which will bring less noise and less pollution,
amongst other things! The way of the future for a happier, safer commuter!

MMP

by Tara Tara Tara

Wed Sep 24, 2008 09:35

Please Bombard Noel Dempsey Minister for Transport and get in touch with your local representatives to raise questions in the Dail demanding a full explanation and investigation into why the MMP has not been implemented especially in light of new warnings on EU fines over carbon taxes and in light of the sharp economic slow down. Circumstances have changed dramatically since proposals for the Motorway were accepted and this needs to be reflected upon and new policies adopted. People Power! Or at least finance.....

Sorry, there is no money left for Meath :-)

by Elated

Thu Sep 25, 2008 23:04

But happily the M3 Motorway will not now be built. Over the next few weeks things will be at a virtual standstill in the Tara Valley, after the Budget the M3 Party is over. Then the Tara Valley will be tidied up after all the destruction, the earthmovers will drive away into the sunset.

There is not a cent left and the government will even have trouble borrowing for Health, Education, Welfare and Essential Services, Yes it is that bad.

Has anybody ever seen Noel Dempsey so quiet ? Now you know why.

There will be no extra provision in the Budget for any extra Gardai, Teachers or Nurses, all the old reliables except fuel will be massively hit, and an admonition will be delivered to the effect that PAYE and PRSI may have to be increased.

The Public Service, and especially the Civil Service and Local Authorities, will be paired down by natural wastage, with not a single new position to be filled. John McGuinness was the Stalking Horse that Cowan and Lenihan employed for that.

Likewise the N9 from Waterford through Kilkenny and Carlow will be put on hold, much to Martin Cullen's annoyance.

Only emergency repairs and maintenance will be allowed.

And, of course, student lecture fees will be re-introduced in 2009. Almost every Stealth Tax will be increased as far as they think they can get away with it.

Ireland is not a wealthy country, it never was -
Many wealthy people live here - there is a huge difference :-)

In the upcoming Local and European Elections, Fianna Fail is braced for seat losses, their strategy here will be to minimize their losses in the hope of loosening the belt a notch to ease their way back into power in four years time, when they hope things will be a bit better.

Batten down the hatches - you have never experienced an Official Depression before :-)

Community Care - Huge Queues - No Money !

Fri Sep 26, 2008 00:22

Right now there are queues outside Community Centres across the country from as early as 8.30 a.m. on weekday mornings of destitute people looking for relief from hunger, for the price of bedding, for clothes, for the most minimal of help - they are all being turned away.

and the Community Welfare Officers' budgets are running out.

People turned away without anything are turning up at Vincent DePaul centres looking for food vouchers, and so far Vincent DePaul is coping and able at least to give them twenty euro vouchers to keep body and soul together for another couple of days.

Immigrants are looking for the fare home, some of these poor people are begging in the streets, they are genuinely broke, even starving, thrown out by heartless landlords with nowhere to sleep, please give them all you can.

People with medical cards for years are now suddenly being re-assessed. Access to psychiatric hospitals is severely curtailed with addicts/alcoholics being turned away.

Increases for social welfare recipients in the Budget will be of the order of five to six Euro a week.

Meanwhile the heartless Scrooges of Fine Gael and Labour, the usual undertakers, are getting ready for "power", that's the worst sign of all :-)

Motorways and rail lines ? You must be living in a different country :-)

people get back to basics

by nomoredramas - tara solidarity vigil

Fri Sep 26, 2008 15:47

too bloody right minister 'flash the cash' dempsey is deadly silent... glad the government is hanging him with all the bills...shame on him what goes around comes around... meanwhile in the valley they are so determined to get as much damage done .... continuing to work after the death of a worker early this week.... no respect..

they have endevoured to lay tarmac in the most visible parts of the m3 ie soldier hill and nearly all bridges are now open...
they seem to be concentrating on ardsallagh... because once the start that bridge, it will all have gone too far to reverse or so they think...
i really really hope its true and the machines do head off into the sunset... because the frantic nature of the work in these last weeks is a bit too much to take....

meanwhile weekly meetings of a sunday take place on the hill ... the long house is finally ready for visits with full internet and power... and the petition is running into the thousands of signatures....

see you on the hill

Stone Broke

Tue Sep 30, 2008 01:37

They won't have enough to build a laneway now that the dollar is going to go into freefall. Bye Bye to a million American tourists, the hucksters' shops in America now will not be able to get the cash to fill their shelves with food for people to buy.

( Watch AIB - it owns 22.5 % of M&T USA High Street banks !!! Guess I could buy that out next week for a grand ! ).

Slippage out of the Cabinet's Sunday meeting is that the Capital Programme including all motorways is to be severely cut, so hang on for 2 weeks to the budget on Tara !

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Transport Plan to Remove M3 Tolls, Accelerate Rail Link with Government

Comments (9 of 9)