Campaigners say Ratholdron Road grant omission a missed opportunity

Disappointment that cycling facilities for the Ratholdron Road in Navan were not included in the funding has been expressed by the Navan Cycling Initiative

"We are not happy about the lack of vision for Ratholdren Road. We feel that Active Travel funding should have been secured to facilitate the installation of cycle lanes along the Ratholdren Road,” said Kevin Cunningham of NCI.

"We have been advocating for safe cycling infrastructure along this road since last May. There are two schools at either end of the road, a leisure centre, the town's only park and the trailhead for the soon to be opened Boyne Valley to Lakeland County Greenway.

“The new greenway is highly anticipated and we are very concerned for the safety of children and other vulnerable road users, either trying to access Navan town centre if coming from Kilberry/Wilkinstown/Nobber or Navan residents trying to access the greenway from the town. This existing problem will only get worse as demand for greenways around the country has proven to be exceptionally high.

“We cannot wait years for the completion of the LDR4."

He said the majority of the funding for cycling infrastructure in Navan is for ongoing schemes which are already in various states of planning.

"Of the €7m funding for schemes in Navan, €3m is for the ongoing Navan 2030 works at Kennedy Plaza, while €1million is allocated for the new LDR4 bridge from the Kells Road to Ratholdren Road. While this new bridge and road will incorporate active travel infrastructure, it is well documented that new roads only serve to further embed car dependency, a phenomenon known as induced-demand. It is unclear how this project can be awarded funding under active travel," he said.