Ms Niamh Uí Loinsigh:

I thank the Chairman for inviting representatives of Julianstown and District Community Association to give evidence about the heavy traffic and its effect on the village of Julianstown in County Meath.

Julianstown is a village of 600 people situated on the R132 road between Drogheda and junction No. 7 of the M1 motorway. The R132 used to be the old N1 Dublin-Belfast road. In 2003, the M1 motorway opened taking through traffic around Drogheda. However, the traffic volumes remained high and continue to be grossly excessive for a small village.

While it might have been expected to alleviate traffic congestion in Julianstown, the M1 has had little effect since it remains the primary access route for traffic to south Drogheda and east Meath. The area has seen high population growth in the past decade with more planned. Even now, there is enough zoned land in the southern environs of Drogheda to accommodate a population of more than 18,000 which is just short of the size of Sligo.

While there have been some suggestions the heavy traffic is caused by toll avoidance, this has not been borne out by technical studies on the traffic in the area. According to a briefing prepared by the National Roads Authority, NRA, in 2016, it has always been recognised by the authority, as well as borne out in traffic studies undertaken, that the old N1 – the existing R132 - route would continue to attract significant traffic volumes due to the commercial and residential traffic movements in and around Drogheda town, the movements to and from Drogheda, and the movements to and from Drogheda Port. The decision of the NRA board to adopt the toll scheme noted that the existing R132 route would continue to operate as a toll-free public road. A study carried out by the authority in 2012 demonstrated this toll strategy has been effective as the overall volume of toll avoidance rates on the M1 is relatively low at less than 3% through the length of the scheme.

Current average annual daily traffic, as measured by TII, is in excess of 20,000, with weekday levels exceeding 22,000. According to the TII design manual for roads and bridges, a type-2 dual carriageway, not a village street, is recommended for this level of traffic. Julianstown has the 16th busiest road in the country based on an analysis of the TII network of traffic counters on a total of 86 roads, including all motorways and national roads. It is busier than the M6, M8, M9, M17 and M18 and all national roads apart from the N1, N6, N7, N8, N18 and N40.

Under EU law, traffic noise in the village has been modelled as being 15 to 20 dB in excess of the World Health Organization threshold for human health. It is suspected that the traffic is causing significant air pollution, particularly NO2. If one breathes in NO2 for more than ten minutes, one will die. In a letter sent to the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport on 14 March, Mr. Des Foley, director of services for Meath County Council, noted that the expected volume of traffic has grown significantly faster than was anticipated when the M1 was approved. He noted that the future growth of Drogheda, Laytown and Bettystown areas will further increase pressure on the roads through the village and that the council considers it imperative that work begin on finding a solution in order to significantly ease traffic volumes to a level that befits a village street. He forwarded a 2015 study by Aecom which shows that a local bypass of Julianstown is the most effective solution, rather than a proposed distributor road in Bryanstown and a new link to the M1.

In December 2018, Meath County Council submitted a draft preliminary appraisal for a Julianstown bypass to the Department It considered a cost-benefit analysis of various proposed solutions. This document recognises lengthy journey times due to congestion and unsafe conditions for all road users, particularly pedestrians and cyclists. There is approximately 1 mile between the two pedestrian crossings in Julianstown. Trying to cross the road in the morning is like running a gauntlet. The appraisal further notes the unhealthy environment due to air pollution, vibration and noise, as well as the lack of resilience of the transport network in north-east Meath given increased future demands. It concludes that a bypass of Julianstown is the preferred option based on multiple criteria, including a cost-benefit analysis. In fact, the benefit-to-cost ratio based on reduction of congestion alone is 4:1, with an anticipated saving of €80 million.

Although the Julianstown and District Community Association acknowledges that public transport has a role to play in transport policy overall, Julianstown is a special case because the health and safety of residents are of paramount concern. No public transport strategy can solve the problems in Julianstown because a major portion of traffic travelling to Drogheda and east Meath, including HGV traffic to the port, passes through the village. It clear that the R132 should be designated as a national route in light of the traffic volume and the fact that it is a strategic access route to Drogheda, Laytown and Bettystown, which have a population in the region of 50,000. It can be upgraded to a national road by ministerial order under section 10 of the Roads Act 1993. This would be a purely administrative act.

The Julianstown and District Community Association asks that the R132 be upgraded to a national road; that the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport include Julianstown on the capital plan and expedite it; and that Meath County Council adopt meaningful policies in the new county development plan in order to monitor the traffic levels and the environment in Julianstown and to rapidly advance plans for the Julianstown bypass. For example, it could progress corridor selection in order to avoid granting planning permission, etc.

Residents of Julianstown hope that public authorities at local and national levels meet their responsibilities to accommodate the population of Drogheda and east Meath with appropriate infrastructure. Julianstown is being crushed by extreme levels of traffic. We are fully committed to driving a solution and are prepared to go down the path of litigation if necessary. We are confident that there have been breaches of EU environmental law and of our fundamental right to a healthy environment. If the administrative authorities fail to take action, they will be forced to so do by the courts.

I thank the committee for this opportunity to put evidence before it. We look forward to answering members' questions.