Proposed Sandyford Link Road makes no traffic or transport sense

Green Party Transport spokesperson Eamon Ryan TD, said today, ?The Sandyford Link Road is badly designed, will only serve to draw additional traffic - and traffic jams - into the area and ignores the recommendations of expert assessments which stress the need for investment in public transport. Not only that, it will have very detrimental effects on residents alongside the proposed route and on the Airfield estate.?

?In fact, the Sandyford Industrial Estate link road will cause more problems than it purports to solve. There have been three significant studies by experts on traffic in the region, none of which called for the construction of such a road.

- The Dublin Transport Office?s ?Platform for Change? argued against such a development. This is formally accepted Government policy;

- The Dundrum Area Traffic Management Plan of 1996 concluded that a Sandyford Link Road would provide ?little benefit? to Dundrum and ?in fact would draw additional traffic into the area which is undesirable?;

- In 2002 Oscar Faber Consultants prepared detailed recommendations in the ?Sandyford Multi-Modal Access Plan?, and proposed 22 measures to the traffic system in the area. There was absolutely no mention of a link road in their recommendations.?

?This road will also have a very negative effect on the residential areas of Holywell, Lakelands and Balally. For Holywell residents especially, the road will literally overlook their houses without crash barriers causing serious safety concerns as well as noise and air pollution issues. The road will also have a very serious effect on the Airfieldestate. This is a special amenity for the people of South Dublin, providing a rural oasis of calm in the area. The location of the road in the lower fields will ruin the peace and tranquillity of the area and jeopardise the plans of the Trustees for further improvements on the estate.?

?Why is the Council ignoring the recommendations of all its expert assessments which stressed the need for investment in public transport in the area, such as a Quality Bus Corridor on the route? Why does the Council want to build a road alongside the state-of-the-art Luas system, rather than enhance that service? This road goes against all qualified advice the Council has to hand. The significant private costs coupled with the complete lack of public benefit means that this road should not go ahead.?

?It is unclear who actually wants this road?, said Deputy Ryan. At a recent information meeting on the road, organised by Deputy Ryan and attended by 400 local residents, practically all voices were against this road. ?There seems to be no concerted lobby in favour, save the officials in the County Council. If the public consultation is to mean anything, local opinion has to be taken into account. The Council is there to serve the community and not the other way round?.

?The significant private costs coupled with the complete lack of public benefit means that this road should not go ahead,? concluded deputy Ryan.

Explanatory note: The Submissions Process

Part 8 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, submissions from interested parties will be presented to the County Council. Ultimately, a decision on whether or not the road will go ahead rests with the 28 Councillors in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown.

All four Green Party Councillors have publicly declared their intention to vote against the road.