An Taisce and NRA clash over roads funding

‘Ghost roads’ are being advanced by NRA with false data - An Taisce


Rowan Gallagher

AN Taisce has accused the National Roads Authority (NRA) of using false data in order to justify a stretch of road from Bohola to Ballina.
The NRA had not taken account of their own data which states that there has been a seven per cent fall in traffic rates over the last two years, according to the environmental organisation.
“By not admitting the fall in traffic over the last two years - seven per cent averaged out across the country - the NRA is, in effect, data tampering to advance motorway proposals. Over the course of last year 22,000 households shed at least one car, according to figures for the number of vehicles taxed at the end of 2009.
“The NRA is proposing to borrow close to €9 billion to build its 850 km of proposed motorways.  This would place a further mountain of debt upon already crippled taxpayers, compounding stress already faced by those that continue to have work,” an An Taisce spokesperson said.
In February the planning appeals board refused the proposal pointing to the over-scaled nature of the 19km of dual carriageway from Bohola to Ballina because the NRA failed to justify the project on traffic grounds. The board called instead for a “more modest” proposal.
In its report, An Bord PleanΡla claimed that it had not been demonstrated that the proposed road scheme with two major bridge crossings of the Moy, was justified and stated it would ‘constitute an unacceptable intrusion into the Moy river valley and its designated habitats, and would be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area’ also stating that ‘a more modest upgrade may be acceptable which complements the important resource of the river Moy’.
Speaking to The Mayo News last week Minister for Labour Affairs, Dara Calleary, said he believes that An Bord PleanΡla went beyond their remit as a body to refuse the project on these grounds.
“Currently the area is undergoing a traffic study in east Mayo and that is due to be finished around now and then they will report back some time in the Autumn to the NRA. The reasons An Bord PleanΡla turned the project down was flawed and beyond their brief.
“They cited the impact on the river Moy although the National Parks and Wildlife Service were supportive of it. We could have gone down the road of a judicial review but that would have taken at least another five years. I am putting in a big push now for the N26 and it is my priority,” the Fianna Fail Minister concluded.
In a statement issued to The Mayo News the NRA defended its current proposal.
“Roads are designed for a 20 to 30 year economic benefit. All the NRA roads are designed with the best available data. Yes, traffic has declined since the recession began, note the traffic counts from 2008 to 2009 ,and that impact is reflected on the NRA’s data. All of our future traffic schemes have been adjusted accordingly. Additionally, traffic predictions are always put before An Bord PleanΡla to adjudicate on such matters.
“The seven per cent decrease in road traffic that An Taisce claim is present in the NRA data are not an accurate map for future traffic according to the NRA,” the NRA spokesperson said.
“Those figures are not representative of what is happening across the network and a simple average of traffic counter growth at all traffic counter sites which includes a number of ‘bypassed’ traffic counters is skewing the average growth figures downwards.
“Growth forecasts are based on CSO population and employment projections. During the ‘boom’ years of the Celtic Tiger the NRA utilised annual growth rate of two per cent while the actual economic growth rate was averaging four per cent to six per cent,” the NRA spokesperson concluded.