The 2024 Local Elections are fast approaching and things are heating across the county ahead of polling day on June 7.
Underfunding of Active Travel and Public Transport in Graiguecullen says Sinn Féin candidate
Sinn Féin candidate, Aaron Kelly has said “it was so frustrating” that Graiguecullen received no funding from the Government’s recent €3m Active Travel investment grant in Laois.
“I asked Deputy Brian Stanley to submit a parliamentary question to the Minister for Transport on my behalf,” Mr Kelly said.
“I asked why Graiguecullen, being the third most populated townsland in Laois, did not receive any funding under the Active Travel Investment grant considering there are no cycle lanes or e-chargers available for public use in Graiguecullen at the moment.”
Mr Kelly said a response from National Transport Authority (NTA) outlined that Graiguecullen has benefitted under the Carlow Graiguecullen Joint Urban Area Plan and this is the reason for not allocating any funding under this scheme in Laois.
“Once again, we have the ongoing issue of Graiguecullen being underfunded by national government funding allocations in Laois due to its proximity to Carlow town,” Mr Kelly said.
“It is completely unacceptable for Graiguecullen to be left in limbo between two counties all of the time.
“Just last year a local TFI bus service was launched in Carlow town and Graiguecullen.
“However, the route in Graiguecullen caters only to the Carlow side and does not facilitate any of the housing estates on the Laois side of Graiguecullen, known as Graigue Rural, which make up almost three quarters of the population.
“So now we have a situation where the Carlow Graiguecullen Joint Urban Area Plan didn’t provide public transport or active travel funding allocations to Graigue Rural, and Laois funding allocations (under the Active Travel Investment Grant) won’t cover it on the assumption that it is already covered under shared schemes with Carlow.”
Mr Kelly said “underfunding” from the Department of Transport is a national issue, much bigger than Graiguecullen.
“While we are all well aware of the government failing to meet its housing targets in recent years and being wholly responsible for the crisis in our healthcare system, we now learn that they are falling short of what is needed to truly support and promote active travel across the country,” he said.
“The lack of adequate financial support has hindered the development of infrastructure like cycling lanes and wheelchair-friendly public footpaths in recent years.
“While Minister Eamon Ryan preaches to us about our carbon footprint and reminds us of our responsibilities on climate action, he and the rest of our government are leaving local communities struggling to provide safe and accessible options for active transportation and leaving the local authorities to look responsible and bear the brunt of the blame, while also leading to increased reliance on cars or other polluting forms of travel.”
Mr Kelly said he the underfunding of active travel and public transport “not only hampers efforts to combat climate change and reduce air pollution but also impacts public health.”
“By neglecting to prioritise active travel and public transport, the Irish government is missing a valuable opportunity to promote healthier lifestyles among its citizens,” he said.
“We, in Sinn Féin, also know that investing in active travel has a positive impact on local economies as footfall is boosted for small local businesses, who are already struggling to compete with online sales due to their high running costs.
“As an advocate for sustainable transport for Ireland, I urge the Irish government to prioritise active travel initiatives and allocate greater resources to support their development so that small towns and villages across rural Ireland can actually benefit.
“Finally, I am calling on our new Taoiseach and the government to, for their last few months in office, stop setting unrealistic targets that they cannot achieve and to stop promoting programmes and schemes that they know will never come to fruition due to their underfunding and underinvestment.
“The above comments echo the need for change in government. They are out of touch, out of time, and failing the people of Ireland who they claim to represent.”
Fine Gael candidate calls for outer ring road for Mountmellick
“Ten thousand vehicles per day pass through Mountmellick choking up the town centre and causing business in the town centre to close,” said Fine Gael candidate, Paddy Buggy.
“This is leading to high levels of air pollution in the town centre along with serious traffic jams, especially on the days when funerals are taking place.
“It is also having a detrimental affect on the surrounding country roads where traffic is diverting onto to try escape the traffic congestion in the town.
“These roads have fallen into total disrepair and the local residents living on these roads are fearful for their lives with traffic travelling at high speeds.
“These roads are generally narrow with nowhere to pull into when meeting on coming traffic and were not designed for high levels of heavy goods vehicles.
“Laois County Council has plans drawn up for an outer ring road for Mountmellick which is costed at €60m.
“This outer ring road plan needs to be added to the National Development Plan and priority given to it’s construction by Minister Eamon Ryan.
“To get it onto the NDP requires political pressure, pressure which has been sadly missing from the existing long serving local councillors in the Mountmellick area.
“Once this outer ring road is built and the high levels of traffic are taken out of the Town centre the plans being developed for the regeneration of the town centre can be implemented resulting in an enhanced quality of life for the residents.
“It will also save the country roads and restore safety and peace of mind to those living on these roads.”
