A Chathaoirligh agus a dhaoine uaisle, I represent the Slane Bridge action group. We have been campaigning for a bypass since the last fatality at Slane Bridge in February 2001. We believe it is the only solution to end the dreadful history of horrific accidents which have occurred periodically for the last 50 years in the village of Slane and at Slane Bridge and its approaches. This two mile stretch of road, from McGruder's Cross down to and over Slane Bridge and up to the top of the village, is in the top 1% of accident blackspots in Ireland. All so-called solutions implemented to deal with the problems have proved to be hopelessly ineffective. Signage, traffic calming measures, speed controls and traffic lights just cannot stop uncontrollable trucks descending a steep incline. We were reminded of that fact once again on 23 March, as Ms Kealy so graphically outlined.
The Government and the NRA have not addressed this problem with any great conviction. We seem to be in a suspended state of expectation and frustration, awaiting results of various preliminary procedures that are repeated again and again. The selected route is now subject to alteration for the third time in seven years. We interpret this as constructive procrastination on the part of the Government and the NRA. Is it just a process of appeasement? The mantra seems to be to keep us happy in Slane but without any commitment to full funding. Are we to live constantly in the dark, with no light at the end of the tunnel?
The failure of the Government to include the construction of a bypass for Slane in either the national development plan or Transport 21 is the major cause of the predicament in which we find ourselves. A golden opportunity to commit to final funding was missed when the Ashbourne bypass was completed in 2006, €30 million under budget. We pleaded with the Government to reserve that surplus for the Slane bypass further along the N2, but it was siphoned off elsewhere. How frustrating it was for us to learn one year later, prior to the general election of 2007, that "spare capacity" in the sum of €30 million was found in the roads fund to accelerate the construction of the Castleisland bypass, the only NRA project to begin this year.
The NRA is not fully committed to the project either. Its strategy of trying to channel northbound and southbound N2 traffic onto the tolled M1 via the specially constructed new national road, the N33, from the Charleville interchange to the upgraded section of the N2 north of Ardee, has proved a total failure. Perhaps it was a ploy to maximise the income from tolls. In 1987 Meath County Council expressed the view that it would have to rely on the Dublin-Belfast motorway 10 km to the east to bypass Slane. Despite all the advances since, are we still stuck in that time warp? HGVs in ever increasing numbers continue to find Slane a more attractive route to and from the N2 north of Ardee and the container and ferry ports of Larne, Belfast, Warrenpoint and Greenore. Clearly, their drivers are avoiding tolls on the M1 and using the N2 as an alternative route. The toll-free Ashbourne bypass has also attracted more HGVs onto the N2. What are we to expect when the M3, with two tolls to be paid, comes on stream in 2010?
Under the Roads Act 1993, the primary function of the NRA is to "secure the provision of a safe and efficient network of national roads". In regard to safety, it seems this function applies only to the newly constructed roads, not to existing national routes such as, for example, the stretch of the N2 from McGruder's Cross to the top of Slane village. It is no safer or efficient now than it ever was. The traffic calming measures introduced can only regulate the flow of normal orderly traffic; they cannot hinder runaway trucks. The topography of the area and the road features of that section of the N2 through Slane from McGruder's Cross to the top of the village are clearly unsuited to modern traffic requirements. There are steep descents, three acute bends, two of which are right-angled onto a narrow mediaeval bridge, no viable escape routes for runaway trucks and a precipitous fall of 12 to 14 ft. from the bridge to the river below. The intersection of the N2 and the N51 is in the heart of Slane village. The ever increasing volume of traffic, particularly HGVs, passing through this unique Georgian square must be seen to be believed. With such volumes, the likelihood of something going wrong on steep descents is a daily concern for residents. One of many factors such as driver error, brake failure, non-engagement of crawling gear, overloading, adverse weather conditions and so on can result in serious incidents.
We appeal to the committee to do its utmost in convincing the Government and the NRA to commit funding for the Slane bypass immediately. Failure to construct a bypass will mean more carnage, injury and trauma, not only for local residents but for all those who travel through the village. The residents of Slane are perpetually held hostage to traffic in their picturesque 18th century estate village. This intolerable situation must not be allowed to continue indefinitely.
