Councillor calls for abolition of controversial Active Travel law
Metropolitan mayor of Waterford City and Council Cllr. Adam Wyse met with Minister of Transport Darragh O'Brien TD on Friday, January 23.
Fianna Fáil councillor and Metropolitan Mayor of Waterford City and County Council Adam Wyse raised issue with Section 38 of the Road Traffic Act while meeting with Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien TD.
Section 38 of the Road Traffic Act has come increasingly into focus in local politics in the wake of Active Travel schemes that have frustrated motorists across Waterford.
The article provides that local authorities can implement traffic and infrastructure schemes- including Active Travel- without a vote of approval from elected councillors.
Cllr. Wyse framed the use of Section 38 in implementing Active Travel schemes as a dissolution of local democracy.
“While I fully accept that engineers must operate within legal, safety and regulatory frameworks, technical compliance cannot replace democratic representation,” said Cllr. Wyse.
“As councillors, we are elected by the people to represent their views and lived experience.
“Under the current system, we can be shown plans, we can give feedback, but ultimately we have no real power to approve or reject schemes that fundamentally change how our communities function.
“That is not acceptable in a democratic city or county.
“I raised this directly with the Minister today and asked that the use of Section 38 for major infrastructure projects be abolished and that decision-making power be returned to local councillors.
“This is not about councillors seeking power for ourselves. It is about putting power back in the hands of the people we represent.”
Cllr. Wyse referenced an Active Travel Scheme recently introduced along the Farronshoneen roundabout that caused widespread disquiet among councillors.
The scheme has seen more ‘traffic calming’ measures implemented at the roundabout, namely pedestrian crossings and dedicated cycle lanes.
Councillors have argued the new additions come at a detrimental cost to motorists.
A report from the council said that the changes at the roundabout had led to delays increasing from three minutes to between thirteen to sixteen minutes at peak times (4:30pm-5:30pm).
Cllr. Wyse said he was a supporter of pro-cyclist and pedestrian infrastructure, but said current changes meant the clear passage of emergency service vehicles could be hampered.
Speaking at the in-progress Transport hub on the North Quays, Minister O’Brien pushed back against claims that Active Travel was causing increased distress for road users with no conceivable upside.
“Active travel is key to actually providing safe, active, healthy access to school, to work for leisure activities,” Minister O’Brien said.
“We're investing 360 million euro a year as a government in active travel measures right away across the country…making it easier for our pupils to cycle and walk to school safely, to change people's habits as well, to get people out of the car, out of their cars, and to provide the facilities to make it easier for them to do so.”
