Traffic calming is “urgently needed” on rural roads which intersect with the Boyne Valley to Lakelands County Greenway, the Navan Cycling Initiative has said.
The campaign group said: “It’s great to see the Boyne Valley to Lakelands County Greenway so popular in its first few months since being opened. However, we urgently need traffic calming measures, reduced speed limits and road markings at crossing points along the route, particularly at Gibbstown and Wilkinstown.”
The group highlights that the original Part 8 planning documents for the greenway — dated 2013 — said ‘“Local speed reduction to be 60kph on 80kph roads on approach to crossing point. Advanced road markings to be determined to slow motorists down on approach of greenway crossing”
But the group said that neither 60km/h speed limit or the road markings were implemented.
The Navan Cycling Initiative said: “We emailed Meath County Council in November last year and they said they were implementing traffic calming measures at crossings inc Gibbstown, and that traffic speed limits will be reviewed. This should’ve been done in conjunction with the greenway opening, but it still hasn’t happened.”
“At Wilkinstown, the area has proven to be a very popular destination along the greenway, with a lot of cyclists coming from Navan. This is despite the next section to Castletown not being open yet and it will be even busier when it is. We’ve already highlighted the lack of ped/cycle paths in the village itself linking to local amenities, as well as the urgent need to reduce speeding traffic not just by the greenway crossing, but also a school, a community centre, playground and various amenities,” the group said.
They added: “It’s hard to understand how these traffic calming measures were not implemented along with the greenway works. They were part of the plans, and we knew the greenway would be very busy. We received lots of messages from people expressing concerns, and this is something which we hope to see addressed asap.”