Councillors concerned about new town design manual

Council to implement town design manual but councillors express concerns


Kevin Moran

MAYO County Council will implement a new design manual which will form the basis for urban planning in the county’s larger towns.
The Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets was introduced to members of the Roads and Transportation Strategic Policy Committee by Mr Michael Lyons, Senior Executive Engineer with Mayo County Council in Belmullet.
Mr Lyons said the new design guidelines would provide our towns with “safe, attractive and comfortable streets.”
The manual sets out design guidance and standards for constructing new and redeveloping existing urban roads and streets in Ireland, incorporating good planning and design practice.
Planners hope the new instructions will end the practice of designing streets as traffic corridors, and instead focus on the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users. The plan also recommends that speed limits be reduced to 30km/h in town-centre.
The previous document used for urban planning was The Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (2000) – which emphasised ‘car dominance’ and contributed to the segregation of communities. The old model encouraged planners to build wider roads and smaller footpaths; this led to a number of problems such as overcrowded footpaths and pedestrians taking risks when crossing roads.
The new manual will prioritise integration between pedestrians and traffic by building larger footpaths, narrower traffic lanes and more semi-pedestrainised streets.
Plans wills also be altered to accommodate sharper bends, the removal of slip junctions and the widening of parking bays. All changes are intended to create an environment which encourages motorists to be more cautious.
The redevelopment of Main Street in Castlebar is an example of what can be expected. The street was being characterised by visual clutter, poor pedestrian infrastructure and an excessive vehicle presence. The reconstructions have significantly improved the place value of the town-centre and opened up the street as ‘a safe pedestrian environment along with suppressed vehicle dominance’.
The new guidelines raised a few concerns among councillors with Cllr Jimmy Maloney describing the new plans as ‘a recipe for disaster’. Cllr Maloney was particularly concerned about the idea of having semi-pedestrianised streets with no footpaths.
Belmullet-based councillor Gerry Coyle said that reducing the speed limits of towns around the county would significantly increase commutes for people in his locality He said the changes could make for a six to seven hour commute from Belmullet to Dublin.  
Director of Services Paddy Mahon claimed the new planning scheme would make our towns more attractive to visitors and tourists.
Mr Lyons concluded the presentation by stating that the planning authorities would consider changing their standards in exceptional cases but the new manual is now in effect.
The manual was overseen by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government.