More than half the residents of the Dublin commuter belt have no involvement with their local community due to lack of spare time, and one-third feel their quality of life has got worse in recent years, according to a report published today by the Labour Party.
The party surveyed 1,533 people in counties Louth, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow earlier this year.
The survey found that although 90 per cent of the respondents lived within walking distance of a pub, only half lived within walking distance to a playground.
Lack of facilities for young people was seen as a particular problem by the majority of respondents, and most thought class sizes in the area were too large.
Commuting was also highlighted as a problem, with respondents saying their journeys to work had increased over the last five years by an average of 30 per cent, causing them to spend an additional 80 hours commuting a year just to get to work.
More than a quarter of respondents had been affected by crime in the past year, and only one out of six residents thought their local council was doing enough to provide land for parks or football pitches.
Inadequate recycling facilities were highlighted by 60 per cent of respondents.
Unveiling the report, Senator Dominic Hannigan said there was little information available about what life is like in the Dublin commuter belt.
“In the last decade there has been significant growth in population in the towns and village around Dublin,” he said.
“This had generated considerable debate about commuter issues, but yet very little research exists about how residents feel about their quality of life. The purpose of our research is to plug this gap.”
The report makes a number of recommendations to improve quality of life in the commuter belt - including linking garda numbers to population growth, completing the Quality Bus Networks, creating more playgrounds and youth facilities and ensuring an adequate number of school places before building new housing.