How many people know of this?

HillofBadgers

Just found out yesterday about a N11/N25 Oylegate Rosslare Harbour Project. The basic outline of the project is to build a new road from Rosslare Harbour to Oylegate avoiding some sort of invisible obstacle which us plebeians can not see. Here's a link
http://www.wexford.ie/wex/Departments/Roads/NationalRoadsLiaisonOffice/OilgateRosslareHarbourProject/

I would have thought something like this would be given front page space in the People (correct me if I am wrong and it was given a front page). According to the County Council website there have been 2 public consultations. The first consultation was held on 25th February 2009 from 2pm to 8pm and on the 26th February 2009 from 10am to 6pm (hours well suited to average working Joe ). "The objective of this consultation was to invite the public to comment on the need for the scheme and assist Wexford County Council in identifying features and issues that form constraints to the development of the route options." Seems to me like only a few knew, showed up and discussed the matter (correct me if I am wrong because I was not one of these few). The project was given the go ahead after this 'public' consultation.
A second public consultation was held this month on the 14th and 15th, same hours as the one before. The aim of this consultation was to "inform members of the public of the feasible route options for the scheme and to invite feedback". I, personally, did not find out about this infamy until the ability to voice my opinions in a way which would be deemed acceptable by the powers that be was taken from me before I knew I had it.

The project is now at route selection stage. For anyone who wants a look at the 8 proposed routes here they are easy to access without having to plod through the County Council website (they're clean): http://rapidshare.com/files/401969808/Rosslare-Oylgate.zip

As luck would have it my house is near right under one of the 8 proposed routes. One of two routes (H+G) which some insider's info says are least likely due to a 40% increase in cost and some say most likely due to less houses being affected but now it is a very much personal affair for me, one which makes very angry. There is a link to a form on the first page which I posted a link to above, for those looking to voice an opinion (in a subdued, controlled and easily silenced manner). If said form gets anywhere.

I believe this project although falling under Transport 21 and in turn Agenda 21 which basically sanctifies it in the eyes of the global community is entirely unnecessary and is the equivalent of getting a great big knife and cutting a half ring around Wexford. A half ring which will create noise, pollution and traffic chaos for (let's say) the planned 3 years but actual 7 years the project will take.
The back roads all around Wexford are crying out for maintenance and after having been done over with the gritting of roads this past winter the Council wishes to create more roads which will require more maintenance, suck in more funds and destroy what little value there is, intrinsic or otherwise, of many homes.
With one of the highest rates of motorway per capita in the world should we not consider enough to be enough and focus on improving what we already have?
Please tell me I am not alone in this.

HillofBadgers

This is incredibly embarrassing, just saw someone has already posted a thread on this topic.
Oh well, still leaving this up because I am so damn angry.

JupiterKid

Is Wexford getting its priorities right? I for one think that the current N11/N25 needs upgrading but a full blown motorway cutting ther county in two seems a bit much, especially given that Rosslare is nowhere near as big or as imporant as some might think it is.

What about attracting businesses and enterprise into the county? What about reforming the agricultural sector and creating new innovative demonstration schemes? What about much needed job creation? New projects that are environmentally friendly and are a showcases not just for Ireland but the EU? The EPA is based in Wexford...can this not be capitalised upon further like a centre of excellence in environmental technology?

Wexford is known as the "model" county. For once let's have some policies that will allow the county to live up to its name.

HillofBadgers

Funny you should mention the EPA because I am working there for the summer in the Office of Environmental Assessment. As far as I can tell it is just another government body bogged down in administration and bureaucracy. Although there is a lot of really good work getting done on making environmental information accessible to the public.
There are other centres on the estate around the EPA like the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, there is a Teagasc centre and the Irish agriculture museum is here. Thing is they all seem disconnected from each other and removed from what goes on in Wexford, they deal with things on a national level and kind of operate out of their little bubble. Things like having school children come out here and holding demonstrations would be a great way to get more in touch with what is actually going on and making people aware that they do have a say.
All I am doing all day is sitting at a desk, the lab work is done in other parts of the country far away. There are site visits and the like but nobody is getting their hands dirty. There is land here to start large scale projects like community anaerobic digesters and experimenting with 2nd gen biofuels, I wish things were getting done where you could see and touch (and smell) the changes.

Like you say an upgrade on the existing roads would be ideal and least disruptive. At the last public consultation the arguments got heated and one of the few people that were there said that they would commit suicicde if there house was bulldozed. I am not far from sharing that sentiment.
There would be other complications because the N25 borders the National Heritage Park and there is a thread on this board mentioning a newspaper article that said the road was going to go right through it. But there had been no problems with building the N25 to New Ross over some stone age settlement site. Just build a monument after and everything's grand.

I think a nationwide reform of local governments is in order then work our way up the echelons til we have some young clear minded post celtic kitteh ministers who didnt have any hand in getting us in the mess we are in now.

Then fix the roads.

RKQ

HillofBadgers wrote: »

I think a nationwide reform of local governments is in order then work our way up the echelons til we have some young clear minded post celtic kitteh ministers who didnt have any hand in getting us in the mess we are in now.

Then fix the roads.

I wish they would speed up Enniscorthy By-pass!
(Glass flood walls & demolishing Rafter bridge is crazy)

I'd heard whispers of this road but not a great amount of open debate.
Sometimes I wonder why our 2 local papers always report what happen last week but rarely discuss what is planned?

jd

This road has been planned for years, they are moving on to a phase closer to actual build. I don't think it will happen for a while.

Road building in Ireland IS going to cause pain for people, quite a lot of this is because people have been allowed build houses dispersed across the countryside, rather than in nucleated settlements.


The proposed scheme has been on the nra web site for quite time
http://www.nra.ie/mapping/index.jsp?county=Wexford
Some more stuff from the past here
http://www.thrdo.com/