M50 delayed
It's easy to not miss something you don't have. When you don't have something the benefits having it will bring are often difficult to identify.
The M50 is a good case in point.
The unfinished M50 is a five mile stretch of roadway that, by rights, should have been completed quite a few years ago. Due to one problem or another the section from Loughlinstown to Ballinteer remains a building site. Now it's been delayed again, and the September 2005 completion date is in doubt.
The press has included a lot of details about the amount of money that all these delays will cost. But, what about the cost to North Wicklow? I think we should be practically marching on government buildings demanding that this road be completed as soon as possible.
Consider one aspect of the M50 debacle — getting to the airport.
Anyone in Bray, Greystones or the surrounding area knows that a trip to the airport can now take over 2 hours. From Bray, the airport is less than 25 miles away, but because we have to use the slow, often congested Dublin city streets to get to the airport, the journey seems much, much longer. I would be willing to bet that the average journey to the airport from Bray is longer than the average journey from Dundalk, with the new M1.
The cost to us normal travelers is generally our time, but not much else. But, what of the cost to businesses? If I were thinking of locating a factory or an out of town office, I'd definitely choose to locate it near Dundalk rather than Bray simply because of the road infrastructure. This is a real economic cost to us in N. Wicklow.
Additionally, what if you were a bus tour company? Would you rather spend the last night of your Irish tour in the Wicklow Mountains or the Mournes? I know which one I'd choose — the one with the shortest journey to the airport. And, until the M50 is completed, that means the Mournes will be the choice.
I'm all for preserving Ireland's past — within reason. I love all the old buildings and historic sites that are scattered throughout the country. But, we can't live in a museum.
It's all well and good for a student from Kerry to protest about the loss of an old wall, but anyone living here knows that the planned route of the M50 was hashed out over many years. It's too late to change it now.
If we don't get this road completed soon, it may never be completed. That will permanently stunt the development of North Wicklow. If the government finds that the M9 to Waterford will be less hassle than the M50, that will become the road to the port at Rosslare that they want. The road system and scarred landscape around here may remain as they are for a long, long time.
The M50 is a good case in point.
The unfinished M50 is a five mile stretch of roadway that, by rights, should have been completed quite a few years ago. Due to one problem or another the section from Loughlinstown to Ballinteer remains a building site. Now it's been delayed again, and the September 2005 completion date is in doubt.
The press has included a lot of details about the amount of money that all these delays will cost. But, what about the cost to North Wicklow? I think we should be practically marching on government buildings demanding that this road be completed as soon as possible.
Consider one aspect of the M50 debacle — getting to the airport.
Anyone in Bray, Greystones or the surrounding area knows that a trip to the airport can now take over 2 hours. From Bray, the airport is less than 25 miles away, but because we have to use the slow, often congested Dublin city streets to get to the airport, the journey seems much, much longer. I would be willing to bet that the average journey to the airport from Bray is longer than the average journey from Dundalk, with the new M1.
The cost to us normal travelers is generally our time, but not much else. But, what of the cost to businesses? If I were thinking of locating a factory or an out of town office, I'd definitely choose to locate it near Dundalk rather than Bray simply because of the road infrastructure. This is a real economic cost to us in N. Wicklow.
Additionally, what if you were a bus tour company? Would you rather spend the last night of your Irish tour in the Wicklow Mountains or the Mournes? I know which one I'd choose — the one with the shortest journey to the airport. And, until the M50 is completed, that means the Mournes will be the choice.
I'm all for preserving Ireland's past — within reason. I love all the old buildings and historic sites that are scattered throughout the country. But, we can't live in a museum.
It's all well and good for a student from Kerry to protest about the loss of an old wall, but anyone living here knows that the planned route of the M50 was hashed out over many years. It's too late to change it now.
If we don't get this road completed soon, it may never be completed. That will permanently stunt the development of North Wicklow. If the government finds that the M9 to Waterford will be less hassle than the M50, that will become the road to the port at Rosslare that they want. The road system and scarred landscape around here may remain as they are for a long, long time.
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