Seeing as it's unlikely that Rod and co will get into a government(with any influence anyway), will the new programme remove the nonsense two thirds allocation for PT and cycling which many a council did not spend their allocation on anyway?
Your first paragraph suggests that the Green Party set a random target knowing they wouldn't have to deal with it which isn't true. They didnt run away, they were voted out. They would have fully intended returning to government to continue this push.
I was referring to Leo Varadkar and his Cabinet back in 2019 when this was started.
The PfG can mention it as many time as it wants. I refer to my last reply to marno. Changing everyone over to EVs is what the Greens wanted but it won't be enough be enough without public transport investment. With an increasing population is only getting is only going to get worse. As I said I look forward to seeing it all done..rails, roads, houses but it's a huge challenge. The glib comment from the government spokesman that there will be less cycle lanes thats for sure this week was unnecessary but worrying. Sounds like road works are set to dominate again.
re: your last line. Sounds like you need to properly read the Programme for Government.
The spokesperson speaking about bike lanes was playing to the crowd and signalling a shift from the previous do nothing DoT where not a whole pile except bike lanes were actually delivered. Roads or PT.
Try actually reading the PfG. Transport starts on page 75.
And it wasn't a government spokesman. It was a single TD spouting to a journalist.
Maybe a little less playing to the crowd and more explanation on what they are actually planning would be better for all concerned.
Anyway I think we all want to see it all done. The new PfG will tell a lot.
Reducing the EV grant isn't the cause of the sales dip. The UK has had no grants for a long time, and its EV sales fell too. It's a lack of support infrastructure, plus some quite good PR campaigns by ICE-heavy makers (hi Toyota!) to stoke range anxiety in buyers. (I've had people who drive less than 5000 km a year, all short trips, tell me they'd be worried about relying on an EV with “only” 300 km of range…)
I've got an EV, and it's far cheaper for me than the diesel it replaced. However, I've also got a driveway and a home charger. With public charging infrastructure the way it is now (i.e., sparse and expensive), you cannot realistically expect someone who doesn't have a private driveway to buy an EV. Then there's the mostly rural drivers who do have the place to charge overnight, but drive longer distances, and for peace of mind would like a charging option at their destinations.
Tax-breaks on 2nd hand EVs are a useful measure (over a third of cars on Irish roads were previously registered in the UK), but the real money needs to be spent on making EV charging more cost-effective and accessible, and in fairness to the perennially-maligned Ryan, that's why he cut back the grant: as EV prices fell, and second-hand units arrived on the market, it became nothing much more than a subsidy for people who can afford a new car, so the money was better spent in supporting everyone who owned an EV, regardless of how they acquired it.
I’m actually disappointed that the purchase incentive is back. If it has to be, I'd like to see it tied to a scrappage scheme and weighted toward lower-price models… I'll wait to see the details.
IIf you're referring to yesterday's release it is only a draft PfG full of general statements promising a bit of everything. I can't get any sense that there is a shift in the balance from public transport to or from roads. Needs more meat on the bones for a final document or else we will have to wait for the announcements of project funding.
It's quite obvious that there is no shift, just that much needed road projects will no longer be stalled.
Its not obvious to me but I hope you are right.
https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2025/01/17/who-are-the-independents-supporting-the-new-ff-fg-coalition-and-what-do-they-want-in-return/
Some detail on the nine TDs supporting the Government and some of the constituency projects they are prioritising. No "consitutency deals" but apparently they are having input on the NDP review in July.
Marian Harkin: N4 Carrick on Shannon bypass, N17 Knock-Collooney
Healy Raes x2: N22 Killarney-Farranfore
Sean Canney: M6 Galway City Ring Road
Mentions an "outer ring road" of Athlone regarding Boxer Moran which I don't follow, but maybe the N55 to Ballymahon will be prioritised. Gillian Toole's base is quite close to the N2 Kilmoon Cross-Ashbourne project that got knifed a few years back. Noel Grealish may have his eye on a Claregalway relief road aside from the GCRR proposal. Lowry has regularly made mention of bypasses of Tipperary Town (now outside his constituency) and Thurles.
Sure if you want to ignore all the difficulties that this government has faced in virtually each capital investment department when it has come to planning law, then yes the government has been doing nothing :eyeroll:
This is made more grim by the fact that I know you know this, you are clearly a person who is quite invested in infrastructure in this country, but your hobby horse is roads and are happy to lean into misrepresentation to grind an axe.
I have no axe to grind. I have presented information on several road schemes and why they have been delayed during the last Government. My personal opinion on Eamon Ryan has been quite consistent also. I was optimistic when he was appointed that he would try to make progress in many areas that needed advancement (big ticket PT projects, offshore wind, interconnectors etc), but instead he was rather ineffective because a) he took on too much (transport, energy, climate and communications is too much for one Minister especially when responding to crises such as the 2022 energy shock) and b) he spent more time getting drawn into quagmires and needless political debates about items of a personal grievance (roads projects, the passenger cap at Dublin Airport, the LNG terminal at Shannon etc). IMO he would have a better legacy if he left that stuff alone and focused on positive progress on renewable energy, Metros etc. Despite his best efforts, there is apparently extra focus on road project advancement and the immediate lifting of the Dublin Airport cap by the new Coalition, and it wouldn't be remotely surprising to see Shannon LNG advance to placate the new administration in the US.
Most of the roads projects that Eamon Ryan was alleged to have intervened in are in the pre planning stage. Projects at the planning submission, or beyond that stage were not impacted. I have repeatedly stated this, especially in the M20 thread where posters repeatedly slated the Minister despite there being no evidence whatsoever that he slowed the M20 project in any way.
Now that a new Minister is in place, it'll be interesting to see how long the TII allocations take to come out this year.
They were released in late December/early Jan until the 2022 allocations which were published on 17/12/2021.
They were delayed until February in 2023 and 2024 presumably due to the shenanigans involved for those 2 years.
(Also: Business case for the M28 was submitted to DoT on 20/12. M28 contract award should be shortly)
Cars are being decarbonised by becoming electric. Remember in 5 years time you won't be able to buy a petrol or diesel car.
Those cars, buses and trucks will need some form of road to operate on.
So many projects need attention and are so far behind where they should be- the N4 between Mullingar and Dromod (while a decent road in many parts- is way over capacity the amount of HGVs on this road always surprises me), the western half of the N24, the N/M20, the N17 northern section, N4 Carrick on Shannon scheme, all the Donegal schemes , N2 and N3 schemes, N21 bypass schemes etc plus many national secondary schemes
Are you sure about the 5 year timescale? EU regulations refer to no ban before 2035.
They’re wrong. It’s 2035.
New passenger cars sold after 2035 date must emit 0% of current CO2 emissions.
Buses and trucks are under different rules: After 2040, new buses and HGVs must emit less than 10% of current CO2 emissions. They get a lighter limit because they’re much heavier, there’s far fewer of them, they’re essential for commerce (trucks), or can replace multiple passenger cars (buses).
https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/df86e-ministers-announce-713-million-for-regional-and-local-roads/
Regional and local roads allocations for 2025.
Hopefully national roads allocations not far behind.
2025 TII Road Allocations published
https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/61893-ministers-announce-633-million-funding-for-national-roads/
2m for Donegal TEN-T - that seems like quite a lot for design / planning only; I wonder does it cover some CPOs or similar. It's a fraction of the total cost obviously.
edit: similar amounts for other schemes that are even earlier in planning, e.g. N4 Mullingar to Longford; so obviously that's what it costs now!
Those consultants don't come cheap. And Donegal TEN-T is actually 3 roads projects so not too shocking a figure.
The N4 scheme is surprising though
Ministers announce €633 million funding for national roads
https://www.rte.ie/news/2025/0328/1504617-funding-national-roads/
There should be a way to prioritize both without stalling one for the other, and maybe a collaborative effort could help push through the necessary legislation and streamline projects.
Interesting to see which projects didn't get funding or very limited funding!
Quite a decent set of allocations
Here's a list of 2025 v 2024 allocations for the projects actually moving at the minute:
N2 Clontibret-Border - €3m (€1.6m) N2 Slane bypass - €0.65m (€0.7m) N3 Virginia bypass - €1.2m (€0.6m) N4 Carrick-on-Shannon bypass - €1.3m (€1m) N4 Mullingar-Longford - €2.5m (€1.44m) N5 Ballaghaderreen-Scramoge - €88m (€63m) M6 Galway City Ring Road - €2.4m (€3.0m) M11 Oilgate-Rosslare - €4.0m (€0.6m) N13/N14/N15 Donegal TEN-T - €2.02m (€2.02m) N17 Knock-Collooney - €1m (€0.9m) M20 Cork-Limerick - €4.5m (€4.04m) M21 Limerick-Foynes - €69m (€24m) N22 Farranfore-Killarney - €1.0m (€0*) N24 Cahir-Limerick Jn - €2.5m (€0.65m) N24 Waterford-Cahir - €0.08m (€0) N25 Midleton-Youghal - €0.7m (€0.45m) M28 Cork-Ringaskiddy - €50m (€17.6m) N58 Foxford bypass - €0.3m (€0.1m) N72 Mallow Relief Road - €0.7m (€0.3m)
No funding for: N2 Ashbourne-Kilmoon Cross N2 Ardee-Castleblayney N25 Waterford-Glenmore N25 Carrigtwohill-Midleton N40 Cork North Ring Road N52 Tullamore-Kilbeggan
Much of the no funding projects haven't had any allocations since 2022 and are effectively dead at this point.
Great to see meaningful, juicy allocations for every scheme (except the N24 Waterford-Cahir which is now a dogs dinner anyway) that will allow all of them to make meaningful progress this year. At least 7/8 of them should make ABP, if not more. (N3 Virginia, N4 Carrick, N24 Cahir-LJ, 3x Donegal TEN-T are all confirmed that is the plan this year and the 2 N21 bypasses, M20, Mallow BP and M11 are not far behind).
Perhaps in the review of the NDP the no funding projects, along with a select few others, might be included as pipeline schemes, seeing as they won't require any meaningful funding for 5-6 years anyway. It does seem like we may have a decent 9/10 projects ready to commence construction in the next 3-4 years from the short Slane bypass to the M20.
Great to see that list of projects and difficult to argue against many or any of them. The bypasses in particular will remove a lot of bottlenecks.
The way information is presented is not that clear.
In relation to the N53 it states "Minor Works 1a N53 Hackballscross to Rassan (Minor 2016) €2m.
While the minor may be an accounting concept, an new offline route for a national secondary surely belongs with the new road category rather than grouped with small improvements on existing alignments. I presume the €2m will allow earth works or similar proceed on this route?
3.3km of road is a minor scheme, even if it'll have a major impact on safety when done. I'd be surprised if the whole thing cost much more than €15-20M. €2m should go a long way on earthworks.
Still though, even as a minor category it should be grouped somehow with new road construction. Other minor works noted are €1000 traffic islands and the like.
In the list above, the following minor work allocations are also probably worth a mention as they probably represent actual construction rather then planning
N16 €2.1m Lugatober Sligo
N51 €2.7m Dunmoe Meath
N55 €2.7m Cavan
N52 €1.2m Grange Meath
N59 €7m Mayo
N73 €4.7m Annakisha, Cork
N77 €3.3m Ballyragget, Kilkenny
It's decent enough for new projects, but there is huge fall in the amount of pavement schemes being funded. There is only 1 pavement scheme funded in Cork this year, but in 2023 there were 10! Same difference in Mayo, 1 this year but 11 in 2023.
It's great to see the new schemes funded, but on the other hand there are 100s of km of national roads that have dreadful surfaces, especially on national secondaries, so ongoing funding for pavement upgrades is badly needed.
