Motorists using Swan Lane as 'rat run'

Motorists are using Swan Lane in Navan as a rat run despite the fact it should be a cul de sac.

Traffic speeding along the road is a major danger, according to Cllr John Duffy who pointed out that the access road at the end of the lane, near the Willows Pub is not a public road.

Cllr Duffy is calling for traffic calming measures and at a recent meeting of Navan Municipal Council asked the council to clarify the status of the access road.

He recalled that as part of the planning permission for the M3, Swan Lane became a cul de sac, but private access was granted to a company at the end of the lane to facilitate the use of larger trucks that would not be able to transverse Swan Lane.

"That company are no longer operating there. There are a number of small businesses there. In the intervening years the gates have been removed, and the private access is now functioning as a public roadway.”

He was told the access road at Swan Lane was not designed to be a public road and has not been through the formal taking in charge process by Meath County Council.

At that meeting, Cllr Duffy called on Meath County Council to install appropriate traffic calming measures on Swan Lane.

He was told that Meath County Council Transportation Section was currently in the process of drafting and adopting a Traffic Calming Policy for the county and his request would be assessed in line with that policy.

Director of Services, Martin Murray said that a non statutory consultation could be carried on on whether the access road should be opened or closed.

Following the meeting, Cllr Duffy said he wasn't sure that it could be opened because of the planning permission.

"It had operated as a cul de sac, the residents of Swan Lane had accepted it. Now the company are no longer there, the gates are gone and people are using it as a through road. I live on that road and it is being used as a rat run. Most of the residents living on the road itself wouldn't mind if it was closed off, but I don't know about the residents of the estates.

"Because of the volume and speed of the traffic there needs to be some type of traffic calming," he said.