Councils unite to tackle transport issues

The Laytown Bettystown Municipal Council and Drogheda Borough Council are to prepare a Joint Local Area Plan which will look at transport issues across the Drogheda and east Meath area.

The Slane Bypass, road safety measures, a bypass for Julianstown and active travel schemes will be among the many projects to be discussed.

Work is due to start on the plan this week and an eight-week public engagement process will form part of that plan. Both Councils will also continue to work together on environmental and anti-litter initiatives.

Following a joint meeting of both bodies last week, Cllr Elaine McGinty said the joint area plan was very important for the area.

"We are just at the start of the process and it is important to talk about all the transport issues and for people to engage with the process.

"We will be looking at everything from the Slane bypass, buses and transport links, as well as the Greenway. We will look at active travel in both counties and projects like footpath and cycle lanes that can be progressed quickly as they aren't as cost heavy.

Cllr McGinty highlighted the need for safety measures for Julianstown, but said the real solution to traffic congestion in Julianstown was a bypass. "22,000 cars pass through Julianstown village each day. That is unsustainable," she said.

"We will need big money from government to carry out the various solutions, - we cannot leave it to be developer led," she said. "The joint meetings we have been having to discuss the east Meath Drogheda areas are proving very useful, it is not just councillors from both authorities that are talking to each other, but council officials from both bodies, as well," she said.

"Thank you to both Meath County Council and Louth County Council for their continued work and facilitating these joint meetings," she said.