Slane bypass granted planning permission by An Bord Pleanála

Press Release: Navan Cycling Initiative highlight lack of ambition in Slane public realm plan

After the recent news of the Slane bypass being granted planning permission, Navan Cycling Initiative are now calling on Meath County Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to improve the proposed plans for the Public Realm in Slane Village.

First published in 2022 (see more on our website here), the completed Slane Public Realm Plan 2022 was not amended to include any dedicated cycling infrastructure in the main two streets in the village, despite the majority of submissions asking for them.

As can be seen in the Submissions Report that accompanied the above completed plan, cycling was referenced in over half of the submissions received. There were calls for segregated cycle lanes to be included in the plan from the likes of Slane Tourism, Alex and Carina Conyngham of Slane Castle, Helen McEntee TD, the Francis Ledwidge Museum, local community groups and individuals.

Yet despite those submissions, the updated plan was not changed to include any dedicated cycling infrastructure in the main two streets in the village. This despite there being two lanes for traffic, and two rows of car parking, retained. Segregated cycle lanes could potentially be provided by removing car parking on one side of the road (there is also a new dedicated off-street car park being created on the main street, so no parking spaces would be lost), which would bring significant benefits to the village. Meath County Council is also required to cut climate change emissions in half in the next four and a half years, but according to the EPA, transport emissions are currently going up.

In addition, St. Patrick’s National School, located north of the village centre, falls within the study area of the scheme, yet the plans do not include any cycling infrastructure connecting it to the village or main streets, which is completely unacceptable.

Call for improvements

We are now calling on Meath County Council and TII to amend these plans to include the following:

• Segregated cycle lanes on Main Street/N51 to fully connect with important sites like Slane Castle, the Ledwidge Museum, and The Boyne Greenway
• Segregated cycle lanes on Chapel Street/N52 to connect with and provide safe, sustainable access to St. Patrick’s National School
• A two-way cycle lane on Mill Hill (from Slane bridge up to the village). The current plan was amended to include a cycle lane on the left-side of the road (for north-bound cyclists only), but there is nothing on the other side of the road.
• Segregated cycle lanes on the new dual carriageway / bridge in place of shared footway/cycleway.

This scheme will totally transform Slane and further enhance the village to be a vibrant location for people to live, work and visit, and so it is crucial that it is done right. The upcoming Boyne Greenway has the potential to be a game changer for the entire region and bring massive benefits to the local community and economy alike, and as such it is essential that Slane provides for cycling as outlined above if it is to realise the full potential of the greenway.

We urge Meath County Council to deliver on their ambitious plans to promote active travel and implement these measures as part of the future Slane Public Realm plan.

Above: images from the Slane Public Realm Plan 2022

Above: original image from the Slane Public Realm Plan 2022 – modified by NCI to show on street parking

Above: images of the Slane Bypass from n2slanebypass.ie. Images show a mix of streets with no cycling infrastructure, cyclists on footpaths, shared foot/cycle paths

About 

Navan Cycling Initiative (NCI) is a community-based group based in Navan advocating for improved cycling infrastructure. Navan Cycling Initiative is a member of The Irish Cycling Campaign (formerly Cyclist.ie), which is the Irish member of the European Cyclists’ Federation (www.ecf.com). Our aim is to make cycling in Navan and surrounding areas safe, enjoyable, and popular.