Municipal District: 21 April 2023

Motion: That the council provide an update on the Cycle Review for Celbridge. 

Report: A draft report is being reviewed by the Sustainable Transport Section at  present. It should be noted that there is no funding available to progress any  recommendations or improvements from this research. There are currently over 30  NTA funded Active Travel projects started in County Kildare and it is not envisaged  that new projects will be commenced in the absence of significant progress with the  construction of existing schemes on the work programme. Four schemes have  received funding from the NTA to progress through construction in 2023.

Issued by Mr D Hodgins, Senior Engineer, Sustainable Transport and Traffic  Management

Discussion: The members raised the following:

• This had been ongoing a while, previously back in 2019-2020 designs available and ready to go, now report stating no funding available. The members felt this was a fault of the NTA as initially they were told that 2-3 years funding was available and it would then taper off, but now this had changed.
• When would the information from the research be available to the members.
• There was a huge need for cycling infrastructure within the district and action wasneeded to identify the barriers.
• Needed new shovel ready schemes on board as currently slow progress being made.
• The report was drafted for additional projects. Forward planning was essential toidentify and prioritise funding requirements.
• The cycle review, despite no current funding, ensures that we are able to moveforward when such funding was available.
• Within the municipal district there were a number of cycle routes envisaged.
• The overall process was planning, design and then onto construction and these stagesare necessary to avail of the funding.
• Country-wide in the area of Active Travel every council had drawn down theirallocation and were spending over €300 million per annum, every local authority isover-subscribed in this area.
• Last year spend of €9.7 million in County Kildare compares to €2.4 million in 2021.
• The Royal Canal project is a key part of the National Greenway connectivity project.The Council had staff dedicated to this project with Section 1 to open as soon aspossible.
• Celbridge Bridge completed the Part 8 process last year
• Green Lane Active Travel Scheme was ready to be constructed when funding was available.

The members appreciated the update but questioned:

• How could other projects move up the list
• Had any projects been delivered in the last 18 months
• A letter to the NTA will be considered as a motion for next months meeting to questiondelays in the North of the County
• The bridge in Celbridge despite an expensive project did not have a huge impact whenit came to connectivity.
• New schemes were needed to come on board to hopefully assist with progressing active travel and connectivity.

Mr Hodgins advised that:

• The priority of schemes was a matter for the NTA, as funding agency.
• Sustainable Transport Projects within the municipal district included permeability links and other NTA funded schemes including, bus shelters, Bus Connect routes the Dart Plus project, with a lot of other background work being completed on schemes, like Green Lane in Leixlip.
• The NTA had been invited to address the full Council in May 2023.
• Confirmation of funding for construction stage, depended on design and planning stage being completed and then a commitment was sought for funding to be allocated.

Resolved: on the proposal of Councillor Liston, seconded by Councillor Galvin and agreed by the member that the report be noted.