Toll holiday has little impact on Slane

As trucks continued to trundle through Slane this week, local residents believe this months toll holiday will strengthen their case for a bypass.
They estimate that 80 per cent of the 1600 trucks that pass through the village each day are not toll dodgers and that traffic counts being carried out this month will bear this out.
Locals said this week that while it was early days yet, the toll holiday has had little or no impact on the village, as the majority of the trucks that travel through Slane each day have legitimate reason to be on the N2.
However, the M1 and M3 motorways were busier this week as the toll holiday kicked in. Transport Minister, Leo Varadkar, has introduced a one-month ‘toll holiday’ for HGVs for the month of November on the M1, M3 and M6 motorways and the Limerick Tunnel to encourage use of the motorway network.
There have been hopes the  initiative will go some way towards easing traffic problems in Slane this month, but local residents are still adamant a bypass is the only solution to the village’s traffic problems.
Michelle Power of the Bypass Slane Committee said that it would take at least a week before they could see any real results.
However, she pointed out that 1600 trucks travel through Slane each day and it is believed only 20 per cent of those are dodging the tolls on the M1 and M3.
“Most of the trucks that travel through Slane are legitimately on the N2, because that is their route and the only way they can avoid Slane is a bypass of the village.
“On one very short journey into the village on Monday, I saw two massive HGV’s,” she said.
Ms Power added that traffic counts are in place and she is confident that they will supply the figures to back up their case for a bypass.
Cllr Wayne Harding said he hadn’t seen much of a decrease in traffic though the village.
“It has been well flagged that there is a toll holiday for trucks, but they are still driving through Slane.”
He predicted that when the month is over, there would be strong and concrete figures to show the urgent need for bypass of Slane.

 A spokesperson for Meath County Council said the toll holiday is in place for November and traffic counts and other surveys are being undertaken across the region to assess the effects of this initiative.
“Meath County Council is working in collaboration with the NRA on this exercise as the effect on the village of Slane is of particular interest to the council,” she said.