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Eamon Ryan : Gear grinder (aka the M7 widening is not typical road project)

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  • 19-06-2019 3:09pm
    #1
    veryangryman
    Registered Users Posts: 5,542 ✭✭✭


    Every interview he mentions the M7 widening like as if thats the template for every road project we have.

    Fair enough it is funnelling people to the M50 bottleneck. However, he is using this as a reason to knock urgent projects like M20, M4/N4 improvements etc as if they dont have uses in the regions where one has to use the car to work.

    Honestly if he manages to sway the government to abandon these now in the rare times when we have the money to do said projects i just give up.


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    #2
    blanch152
    Registered Users Posts: 27,255 ✭✭✭✭blanch152


    Apart from the M20 and urgent safety fixes, I would support the idea that public transport investment must take priority over road investment for the next 15/20 years.

    Dart Underground, MetroLink, Luas extensions, Luas in Cork, Galway and Limerick are all more important than the widening of the N4/M4 for example, let alone other proposed road improvements.


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    #3
    marno21
    Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 14,355 Mod ✭✭✭✭marno21


    Funny how he neglects to mention his stonewalling of Metro and other PT projects when they don't suit the personal needs of some of his constituents/
    blanch152 wrote: »
    Apart from the M20 and urgent safety fixes, I would support the idea that public transport investment must take priority over road investment for the next 15/20 years.

    Dart Underground, MetroLink, Luas extensions, Luas in Cork, Galway and Limerick are all more important than the widening of the N4/M4 for example, let alone other proposed road improvements.

    DART Expansion, MetroLink, planning for Luas extensions, BusConnects in Galway and Cork are all funded (in addition to BusConnects Dublin) in the NDP to the tune of approximately €8bn. That's bigger than the National Roads budget of €6.6bn in the NDP.


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    #4
    marno21
    Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 14,355 Mod ✭✭✭✭marno21


    It's about time this utterly pointless debate was addressed.

    There are two core elements of the National Planning Framework that are addressed through large scale land transport investment.

    1. Enhanced regional accessibility
    2. Sustainable mobility

    There are others which are somewhat relevant (compact growth, strong economy, transition to low carbon society).

    The first one above, enhanced regional accessibility, is primarily addressed through having a useful national road network. Ireland is too sparsely populated and doesn't have sufficient cities of critical mass to support high capacity mass transit, nor is Ireland particularly suited to rail freight, so having an efficient national road network is paramount for a country like Ireland. The second, sustainable mobility, will require investment in improved public transport in collaboration with increased focus on dense centres of population which should be serviced with effective public transport. They are two completely separate goals with separate solutions.

    The NDP includes funding for the following projects between now and 2027:

    MetroLink: €3bn
    BusConnects Dublin: €2bn
    DART Expansion: €2bn
    BusConnects Galway/Cork: €200m each
    Planning and design of 4 Luas lines in the GDA
    Funding for greenways
    Funding for upkeep and improvement of the heavy rail network

    So far, there has been a widespread concerted effort to derail both MetroLink and BusConnects. The Green Party, for all their guff, have done more to damage the chances of these projects being advanced than to help them. Crowing about roads investment, whilst providing no assistance to efforts to progress public transport, are two positions which are not consistent with one another. If the Green Party got behind these projects for the greater good instead of picking the lowest hanging NIMBY fruit they might have a leg to stand on.

    Meanwhile in Roads spending, which continues at record low levels relative to recent years, most investment is in inter-regional corridors to connect regions which are poorly connected, rather than the narrative that there is an agenda by TII to widen all approach roads to Dublin to jam even more cars into cities. Not building the N4 in Sligo or the N5 in Mayo is not going to reduce car usage, nor will it cut emissions. It just means trucks running through villages, and repeated accidents on unsuitable roads.


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