'Councillors have no say whatsoever' - Active Travel works draw further criticism
Farronshoneen Roundabout
The furore over Active Travel continues to reverberate for local councillors and road users.
At the January meeting of the Metropolitan Council, public representatives lamented, not for the first time, over the gulf between Council and the Executive. Criticism against Active Travel schemes and the contentious Section 38 clause in the Road Traffic Act have risen in the past year.
There has been a documented increase in delays at the Farronshoneen Roundabout, two years after 'traffic calming' measures were implemented.
Last Thursday, Councillor Declan Barry told the News and Star that Active Travel schemes are making life more difficult for road users by placing motorists down at the bottom of the pyramid: "I can fully understand facilitating vulnerable road users, or any pedestrians or cyclists, everyone has to be included, but you can't penalise in one section, i.e. the motorists, for everything."
Cllr Barry wondered about other alternatives for safe pedestrian crossings at roundabouts, including white lines along quarters.
Councillors have urged the Executive and the Active Travel team to carry-out detailed reports on how to ease Waterford's traffic woes. A review into the Farronshoneen Roundabout was delayed by months and was recently shared with the Councillors.
The published report held little surprise for Cllr Barry. He commented: "I knew what it was going to say. The report is factual and its correct but that's not getting rid of the problem.
"Us Councillors have no say whatsoever. It was a decision made by Active Travel. They can implement it, they can show it to us and ask 'What do you think?' But if we don't agree with it, they can still out it in under Section 38. They don't need our permission."
Locals living in affected areas are caught in the impasse between Councillors and the Active travel team. Most Councillors have received complaints over these decisions from their constituents but are effectively powerless to intervene.
Cllr Barry said: "The public elected us and they want us to be their voice, their decision makers to do things for the good of the people. But we're being told by people who are sitting up there who weren't elected at all 'no, we're doing this'. That's not being very democratic to me."
"Because of Section 38, they don't need our say, they can just impose, is the word I'd use."
Cllr Barry is fearful about the upcoming Active Travel scheme works along the Williamstown Road. He said: "Williamstown Road will be a stop/go system for 6, 9, 12 months. Can you imagine the chaos that's going to be that going to be there, with the Farronshoneen Roundabout and now this going on?"
He mentioned Matties Hill as another potential problem area: "Here's the kicker; at the top of The Folly, you can turn left, you can go straight or you can turn right when you get the arrow to turn right. They're taking out this lane. So you don't get that 30 seconds or a minute, you have to get into behind the other one.
"It's going to be backed out to the Cork Road."
