Council closes off Dunboyne traffic ‘rat run’ on trial basis

ANN CASEY
Motorists will no longer be able to use the St Patrick's Park estate in Dunboyne as a rat run, as  the through road is set be blocked off for a trial period.
Meath County Council has agreed to close  the estate to through traffic for a trial period, from January, following appeals from fed up residents, who say their estate is choked with heavy
traffic from morning 'til night.
Depending on how the trial goes, the closure could be made permanent.
Cllr Maria Murphy said that since the closure of the old Navan Road, a lot of traffic comes into Dunboyne from the Summerhill side and uses St Patrick's Park as a 'rat run' or shortcut to the old Navan Road.

“It is not just cars, you have skip lorries, HGV's and all sorts using it.
“The estate is a 30km/hour zone, but the traffic speeds through. The residents have signed a petition calling for the road to be closed and the Council has agreed to close it on a trial basis.”
Nuala Breslin, secretary of the St Patrick's Park Residents Association said the current situation is intolerable.
“Year on year, the through traffic has been increasing and the current levels are intolerable.
“When the new SuperValu opens on the old Navan Road, it will get worse.

_{Nuala Breslin, Mairead Murphy and Cllr Maria Murphy (centre)}

“There are times when residents cannot get in or out of their own driveways with the huge volume of traffic passing by.”
The residents sought to have it closed and raised the issue of health and safety with the Council.
The Council agreed to carry out a traffic assessment over a 12 hour period.
“They found that 1,300 cars passed though in a 12 hour period and that 90 per cent of the traffic using it were using it as a rat run.
“That vindicated our position and the Council agreed to close it for a trial period,” she explained.

“We welcome the closure and hope it leads to a permanent closure.”
Another resident, Mairead Murphy, said that most of the traffic using the road through the estate are using it as a rat run.
“There was a case where a man was assaulted as he tried to come out of his own home because he delayed a motorists who was driving through in a hurry.
“One day I came out of my own gate and couldn't believe what I was seeing.

_{Traffic moving through St Patrick's Park}
“There was a car undertaking all the other traffic by driving with two wheels up on the path to pass them on the inside.
“We welcome Supervalu coming to Dunboyne - it will bring choice and jobs, but it will just make the situation here worse,” she said.
“We have a gorgeous little community with families, young children and the elderly and it is dangerous trying to get across the road with all the traffic.”
“We are looking forward to the trial going ahead,” she said.