Toll ‘holiday’ mooted to gauge the impact of traffic through Julianstown Village

Councillors have called for long-awaited traffic calming measures in Julianstown to be progressed without further delay as pressure grows for a trial M1 ‘toll holiday’ to establish its impact on traffic through the village.

Sinn Féin Cllr Maria White brought a motion before the October meeting of Laytown-Bettystown Municipal District calling on Meath County Council to implement traffic calming measures for which detailed plans already exist and to write to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) seeking a planned toll holiday.

The latest call comes just a month after councillors backed a fresh public-engagement process around the proposed Julianstown Traffic Relief Scheme amid widespread concern over the four western bypass corridors currently under consideration.

With more than 22,000 vehicles travelling through Julianstown each day, according to figures cited at September's meeting, councillors have repeatedly called for measures that could provide more immediate relief while a longer-term solution is progressed.

In its response to Cllr White's motion, Meath County Council said the Julianstown Traffic Relief Scheme is currently at Phase 2 Option Selection, with a non-statutory consultation on an emerging preferred option expected later this year.

That option will include active travel, public transport and traffic-calming upgrades within Julianstown village.

Once the preferred option and associated traffic-calming measures have been finalised, the council said phased delivery would be considered, subject to statutory consents and completion of planned Uisce Éireann works in the area.

However, Cllr White questioned why elements of previously designed traffic-calming measures could not progress alongside the larger scheme.

She said the ultimate solution – whether a bypass or otherwise – could take a considerable amount of time and argued that residents needed some relief in the interim.

Cllr White was particularly critical of the council's statement that phased delivery of the recommended measures would be “considered”.

“I assumed they would be delivered, not considered,” she said.

She also pressed her call for a temporary suspension of the M1 toll to establish whether it could reduce traffic travelling through Julianstown.

The council said tolling arrangements are a matter for TII and the toll concessionaire and cautioned that temporarily suspending toll charges might not provide a robust basis for assessing long-term traffic patterns, as driver behaviour during a trial may not reflect permanent conditions.

Cllr White acknowledged the limitations of a temporary trial but argued it would at least provide data on which future decisions could be based.

“Without that first tentative step being taken to just explore whether the toll holiday would have an impact, what would be the impact? Let's look at the positives and negatives of that,” she said.

She welcomed confirmation that the council's Transportation Section proposed discussing a potential toll holiday but maintained that the Municipal District should formally write to the relevant authorities.

“At least we have a snapshot. At the moment there is nothing to go on,” she said. Pasted markdown

Independent Cllr Carol Lennon raised concerns about further residential development in East Meath without the infrastructure necessary to accommodate continued growth.

She said the area could not continue adding development without corresponding infrastructure and warned against repeating mistakes made in the past.

Cllr Stephen McKee, who last month successfully sought a fresh public-engagement process around the Traffic Relief Scheme, also strongly supported Cllr White's motion.

He said funding had already been allocated for traffic-calming measures in Julianstown and that the works were now urgently needed.

Regardless of whether the eventual solution was a bypass, link road or another option, Cllr McKee said there was currently no funding to deliver such a major project and it could potentially remain 15 or 20 years away.

“In the interim, we need to do something without delay in Julianstown to help at least the residents there and try and improve the quality of life.”

Cllr Sharon Tolan, who called for a temporary toll holiday during September's debate, supported the motion but raised concerns about the sequencing of the traffic-calming works.

She said she did not want significant taxpayers' money spent on permanent measures only for them to be ripped up again to facilitate major works planned by Uisce Éireann.

However, Cllr Tolan stressed that she did not want traffic calming delayed until the eventual delivery of a bypass or other major traffic-relief scheme.

Cllr White agreed that public money should not be wasted on works which would subsequently have to be removed but suggested smaller measures which would not conflict with the Uisce Éireann project could potentially proceed concurrently.

Council officials agreed to explore whether any elements could be brought forward and said they would engage with the Transportation Section to ensure the traffic-calming project followed the Uisce Éireann works.

Officials indicated the Uisce Éireann project was expected to commence in the coming weeks and said the council would seek a clear programme for its completion.

Cllr White stressed the importance of councillors being kept informed of such timelines because of their implications for other projects in Julianstown.

The motion was ultimately agreed with an amendment reflecting the sequencing of the planned works.

- Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme