Still a HGV hotspot

Some eight months after the opening of the Drogheda bypass on the M1, thousands of HGVs are still passing through the picturesque village of Slane in Co Meath every week to the fury of local residents. John Loughran reports.

Traffic calming measures have been put in place in Slane

The Slane Bridge Action Committee, which is actively campaigning for the provision of a bypass and a new river crossing to replace the notoriously dangerous bridge just outside the village, is furious that thousands of HGVs continue to pass through the village.

The National Roads Authority had assured residents that HGV traffic would divert from the N2 onto the M1 when the Drogheda bypass was finally opened, making calls for a bypass and new river crossing at Slane redundant.

However, eight months after the opening of the Drogheda bypass, truckers are still using the N2 through Slane as a gateway to and from the Capital. Group spokesman John Ryle said the numbers of cars crossing the bridge each day has decreased since the opening of the new motorway, but there has been no decrease in the number of trucks travelling along the route.

"If anything we think there may be even more trucks using this route. There certainly hasn't been a reduction in the number of trucks passing through the village," Ryle commented.

Slane Bridge Action Committee recently produced traffic counts which seem to back up this assertion. The traffic counts were carried out at the bridge and at the village square last summer.

Truckers are avoiding the Drogheda bypass like the plague

The traffic counts carried out by the action committee showed that 78 trucks crossed the bridge in a 30-minute period between 9.45am and 10.15am on June 23. On June 27 90 trucks crossed the bridge between 9.00pm and 9.30pm, while on July 4, 85 trucks crossed the bridge between 11.00am and 11.30am. The number of trucks crossing the bridge accounted for 30 per cent of the overall traffic.

A traffic count taken at The Square in the village on June 27 showed that 111 trucks passed through the village between 9.00am and 9.30am, amounting to 21 per cent of the total traffic through the village.

When the Drogheda bypass opened for business in early June the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) warned its members would stick with the existing toll - free alternatives - Drogheda Town and the N2 through Slane - because they could not afford the toll on the new bypass.

The IRHA stated that there was a groundswell of opinion amongst hauliers who felt the cost of the tolls on the new route were too prohibitive and the association predicted that many hauliers would continue to use the toll-free alternatives.

Apart from the toll issue the IRHA also claimed hauliers would avoid the Drogheda bypass because of a lack rest facilities. IRHA communications director Jimmy Quinn said hauliers couldn't take their statutory rest breaks while on the motorway because of the lack of rest facilities.

"We can't understand it. There isn't even a parking area or a service station. There isn't even a place along the motorway where drivers can pull over to eat their breakfast or have a cup of tea," he fumed.

The National Roads Authority (NRA) countered this assertion by saying that there were ample opportunities for hauliers to leave the motorway to take their breaks. The NRA also confirmed it plans to provide rest areas along the route in the future, but has no plans for European style motorway service stations.

A recent survey carried by the 'Drogheda Independent' has added credibility to the IRHA warning. In a survey of HGV traffic the local newspaper claimed that more than six out of 10 truckers travelling on the M1- Dublin to Belfast route are avoiding paying tolls on the Drogheda bypass by diverting onto the existing route through the town centre.

The survey found that 61 per cent of southbound truckers left the motorway at the Monasterboice Interchange and diverted onto the existing N1 through Drogheda.

Commenting on the findings of the survey a spokesman for Drogheda Chamber of Commerce said tolling HGVs was a waste of time because they could always divert to the existing route. "The tolls are pointless as you can easily avoid them at Monasterboice and Waterunder," a spokesman commented.
The spokesman said the National Roads Authority (NRA) had treated hauliers with contempt and said they should now enter into discussion with hauliers to encourage more truckers to use the bypass.

It is now clear that large numbers of HGVs are still using the N2 through Slane (which is their right) despite assurances from the NRA that this traffic would divert onto the M1 when the Drogheda bypass was opened.

Ironically the NRA has started a route selection procedure for a new bypass around Slane, having stated for many years that a bypass wasn't needed because the M1 would remove HGV traffic from the village.

It is also clear that large numbers are diverting off the Drogheda bypass and passing through the town in order to avoid paying the tolls. In tolling the new bypass in Drogheda the NRA has totally underestimated the response of the road haulage industry.

The NRA didn't consult with the haulage industry in relation to tolling the new motorway and therefore wrongly assumed that hauliers would be able and prepared to pay the toll.

The NRA was mistaken in its assessment that hauliers would willingly pay the toll to reduce journey times. However, mistakes can be rectified and the onus is now on the NRA to sit down with the IRHA to thrash out a workable deal.

The IRHA has stated publicly that it is willing to meet the NRA in the hope of coming up with a compromise. It is now high-time both parties got around the negotiating table.