Dunboyne and Clonee cycle and path scheme goes ahead but only if roads are made wider

Ratoath Municipal District councillors were separated by a single vote in passing the Dunboyne and Clonee Cycle and Path Scheme - but added an amendment stating the roads should be at least 6.5 metres wide.

This comes after the Ratoath Municipal District January meeting, when councillors were presented with the final proposal and asked to vote on whether the scheme should go ahead.

The proposed scheme provides for a network of active travel routes of approximately 17km in length within and around the towns of Dunboyne and Clonee including an upgrade of existing footpaths, new and upgraded pedestrian crossings, and 5km of short pedestrian and cycle links.

This is to improve permeability and connectivity between residential areas, public transport, services and amenities. Also included is a Public Realm Scheme for both Clonee and Dunboyne, 6.5 km of new protected cycle track along Summerhill Road, Maynooth Road, Navan Road, Station Road, Rooske Road and Old Navan Road, and 6km of new greenway along the Dunboyne Bypass and Dunboyne Stream, upgraded junctions to improve safety and traffic calming.

The four councillors who voted in favour were Maria Murphy, Nick Killian, Gerry O’Connor, and Brian Fitzgerald. This is on condition the roads are at least 6.5 metres wide and if this is not possible the decision will be brought back to the council.

Councillors Yvonne Everard, Caroline O’Reilly, and Fionnan Blake voted against the proposal.

Several councillors expressed concerns regarding the width of certain roads being reduced to 6 metres saying it is too thin for larger vehicles. Cllr Maria Murphy suggested the amendment, saying:

“Dunboyne is where we put our foot down on this” councillors have expressed annoyance on how narrowing the roads have affected Ashbourne and Dunshaughlin.

Senior Executive Engineer for Meath County Council David O’Reilly said it is “quite significant what’s proposed” and it has the potential to kill the scheme. Mr O’Reilly said it will be difficult to get funding with the added amendment and will jeopardise its funding potential due to the possibility it goes against the Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets (DMURS).

Cllr Gerry O’Connor agreed with the plans if the amendment is included and said he is “all in favour of active travel” but it might not be possible to get funding due to this change.

“You wont get funding if you don’t comply with DMUR… that’s what we’re facing now”.

Cllr Murphy said: “The roadways that they are putting in in some of the areas in Dunboyne are not looking at the future needs of the roadway for traffic vehicles such as transport vehicles or heavy goods vehicles,” Cllr Murphy said.

Excluding the road width, she said she is in support of the project because it provides footpath improvements and road safety measures throughout Dunboyne. She said she was concerned about garden space being taken but the original take on land has been reduced.

Reductions to the width of Dunshaughlin and Ashbourne roads were mentioned multiple times during the meeting. Cllr Nick Killian said the six metre width roads in Ashbourne, which were put in place as part of the town’s cycle and path scheme, are a “disaster”.

Cllr Fionnan Blake said the grass verge in Dunshaughlin on the road leading to Ratoath leaves the bend too tight and “there’s a track on the grass every week” because wider and heavier vehicles don’t have enough space. Cllr Blake added the current Dunshaughlin cycle lane in the direction of Ratoath is not being used and cyclists use the roads instead.

“We have an issue in Dunshaughlin with DMURS on the Ratoath road where the road simply isn’t wide enough for trucks passing each other and there are also issues with the Ashbourne cycle lane on main street where the road is simply not wide enough for traffic passing,” Cllr Blake said.

He said he voted against the plans due to the amount of land being taken from the front of some houses, noting a home that was going to lose their front leaving the adult children living there with no place to park. He also said the road at Clonee sawmills is going to be too narrow for cars.

“I would be supportive with parts of it and I would be a fan of active travel and kids walking and cycling to school but there are parts of the plan which will just make parts of the road too narrow,” Cllr Blake said.

He said he would support sections of the project going ahead, specifically greenways and any parts that do not make the road too narrow for passing traffic.

Cllr Yvonne Everard, who voted against the amended proposal, said: “They are decreasing the size of the roads which is ridiculous given the fact that Meath is a predominantly agricultural county. No farm machinery gets smaller, it gets bigger”.

Cllr Everard also said in relation to the amendment “that’s not going to happen because the landowners already have given consent to a certain amount of their land or their front garden being taken away”.

“To me, everything nowadays seems to be more about the look than the practicality”.