Written Answers. - Nenagh (Tipperary) By-pass.
Michael Lowry
Ceist:
55
Mr. Lowry
asked the
Minister for the Environment
the present status of the proposed Nenagh town by-pass; if he intends to proceed with the northern route as unanimously agreed by both Tipperary (North Riding) County Council and Nenagh UDC; the procedures to follow a decision regarding the improvement of the southern route to make it binding; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Last July, Tipperary (NR) County Council, following an evaluation of all available options by an expert design team, submitted a proposal for a by-pass on a route to the north of the town of Nenagh and requested funding for this proposal. Having given full consideration to the council's request, I have recently informed them that I cannot accede to it. The reasons for this decision were set out extensively in a statement which I issued on 23 November and which is incorporated in the Appendix to this reply.
I am satisfied, having examined all the relevant documentation, that the route recommended in the route selection report prepared by the expert design team — a southern line with a link from the national secondary route N52 to the N7 south west of the town — provides a satisfactory rate of return, entails less severance than the northern route and would provide a high service inter urban road on this national primary route.
I have advised the council that, without prejudice to any statutory procedures which may arise, I would be prepared to give approval, in principle, to proposals for this latter route option and to finance the necessary development costs to enable the council to advance the scheme. I have asked the council to consider the matter fully and to make a further recommendation as soon as possible.
Should the council decide to adopt the southern route option for the by-pass, it is a matter for them to submit proposals for approval. On receipt of that approval, it would also be a matter for the council to proceed with the detailed design of the scheme and, if necessary, with the preparation of a compulsory purchase order to acquire the necessary lands.
Appendix
Statement issued by the Minister for the Environment in relation to the Nenagh By-Pass
The Minister for the Environment, Mr. Michael Smith, T.D., stated today (23 November) that he could not accede to Tipperary (NR) County Council's request for funding for a Northern By-Pass of Nenagh.
"This option has too many drawbacks for the people of Nenagh", the Minister said. "Although it would be a cheaper option in the short term, it represents very poor value for money compared to the other proposals considered by the design team who prepared a comprehensive report for the Council. Besides, construction of the northern route, to the standards expected today on a national primary road, would have very serious implications for many of those who live along the route. Some examples of what I have in mind are:
(i) there would be a need for a long embankment to provide grade separation where the by-pass would cross the Dromineer and Portroe roads. The embankment would be well over 20 feet high in some places and would run for over 1¼ miles of the 5 mile length of the by-pass. It would have a severe impact on dwellings near the line of the route: some dwellings on the Portroe Road would have to be demolished, and the new road would seriously affect the living environment of those in other dwellings. If at-grade junctions (either roundabouts or signal controlled junctions) were provided at these locations, the By-Pass would not provide an acceptable level of service for a national primary route, and substantial interference with residential properties would still be involved.
(ii) where the Northern By-Pass route meets the N7 Dublin Road to the north-east of Nenagh, construction of a grade-separated junction could have a significant impact on residential properties on both sides of the existing national road; acquisition and demolition of some or all of the houses involved would almost certainly be required.
(iii) similarly, while construction of a grade-separated junction with the N52 national secondary road from Borrisokane would be quite feasible from an engineering point of view, such a junction would have a very severe impact on property in the vicinity."
The Minister said that he had carefully examined the report which was drawn up by the design team and which recommends a southern line for the By-Pass, together with a link from the national secondary road N52 (the Borrisokane Road) to the main Limerick Road southwest of the town. "This option has many attractions — although it would be more expensive initially, it represents good value for money and would be a better long term investment. It involves less breaking up of land holdings and communities and it provides for a high service inter-urban road on this critical national primary route. I am prepared to approve this option in principle and to finance the necessary development costs to enable the council to advance the project. Subject to any statutory procedures that might arise, I will also be willing to make grants available to meet the full cost of implementation".
"I have pointed out before," the Minister said, "that routes for by-passes of major towns are being settled all over the country with relatively little difficulty. Nenagh is already chock-a-block with traffic, much of it heavy commercial traffic which has no business in the town centre — and the situation will get worse year by year, with a 3 per cent annual growth rate predicted by the design team".
The Minister said that he, personally, had approached the question of route selection with an open mind. "I wanted to see all the options fully evaluated, so that the full implications of each would be clear when a decision came to be made. I would be delighted if it were possible for me to go along with the county council's proposal in this case — but that would be the soft option, and, to my mind the wrong one. I have personally devoted a considerable time to a study of the report on the various options, and the maps and plans. That study has forced me to the conclusion that the proposed northern route cannot be accepted and implemented without damage of a kind which I am not prepared to inflict on the environs of Nenagh, and the people who live there. I am confident that the decision which I have now taken, having carefully considered all of the issues involved, is in the best interests of all of the people of Nenagh, and its hinterland. There is no time to lose if the Nenagh By-Pass is to be included in the Transport Operational Programme currently being prepared for submission to the EC. It is time that we progressed to the next phase, namely, the provision of the By-Pass itself. That must now be the overriding priority."
Austin Deasy
Ceist:
56
Mr. Deasy
asked the
Minister for the Environment
if he will introduce reciprocal arrangements for the issue of driving licences between Ireland and other countries, including the USA; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
John Connor
Ceist:
177
Mr. Connor
asked the
Minister for the Environment
his views on whether there is a need to introduce a regulation which recognises the validity of United States driving licences in the case of holders who come to live in this country from the US.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 56 and 177 together.
Member States of the EU and Japan are already recognised for the purpose of driving licence exchange under the terms of the Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) Regulations, 1989. I made an order on 26 November declaring Australia, Austria, Isle of Man, Jersey, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland to be so recognised. These countries will provide reciprocal facilities to holders of Irish licences.
I am not satisfied that the driver testing regimes in the United States meet the standards prescribed in the Directive on driving licences. In most states, licences do not distinguish between drivers who passed their driving tests in vehicles with automatic transmission and drivers who qualified in vehicles with manual transmission; this arrangement also conflicts with the requirements of the Directive.
