Mayo County Council has launched a public consultation on a Draft Local Transport Plan for Castlebar which is aimed to see a reduction in car use in the town.
It is one of the first Draft Local Transport Plan (LTP) based on the new National Sustainable Mobility Policy.
The predicted potential changes include a reduction among residents of the town from around 66% of trips by car to 44-55%. The decrease in car use is made up of a switch to walking, cycling and public transport (see chart below).
Castlebar is a market town and the figures are only for residents within the town, not all traffic entering it. But the plan outlines how there is an opportunity to reshape streets in the town after the N5 bypass is opened.
The plan outlines an overview of proposals that include, in km per direction, 45.7km of cycle facilities 41.9km of upgraded and 3.4km of new pedestrian facilities, junction changes, crossings and mobility hubs.
The cycle routes include shared streets in the town centre, with no segregated routes through the centre of town.
The council said that the plan is to support the National Planning Framework objectives of Compact Growth and Sustainable Mobility, and is pursuant to the Northern and Western Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy 2020-2032.
Unlike some consultations which require participants to be over 18, the council said: “Children or groups or associations representing the interests of children, are entitled and encouraged to make submissions or observations on the Draft LAP.”
Submissions or observations must be received by 5.00pm on April 11, 2023. More detail and how you can respond can be found at consult.mayo.ie.
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I just got around to studying these plans so I’m too late to make an official observation. As a resident of the town I think the proposals look very promising.
One thing I’m curious about is the choice of a traffic light junction replacing the roundabout at Cathal Duffys. The Mulroys roundabout in the photo above looks much better for both traffic and cycle flow than relying on stop lights. I’m sure there is some logical design based reason for this.