A lack of environmental commuting options in the south-east is undermining Waterford's 'green' credentials, writes Frank McDonald.
A 2002 plan by the Waterford City Development Board aimed to turn it into "the number one environmentally friendly city in Ireland". It might start with commissioning a redesign of Rice Bridge, which provides a most unfriendly introduction to Waterford for anyone on foot.
It's not so great for motorists either, at least not at peak hours. Every weekday, there is gridlock at the Ferrybank roundabout where city-bound traffic on the Clonmel and New Ross roads merges before advancing across the bridge. Only 8 per cent of Waterford's commuters use public transport.
Apart from one train from Wexford that commuters can use, there are no rail-based local services - and no plans to introduce them either because they would need 1,000 peak-period passengers to be viable. Bus patronage has also declined since 1990, mainly because of rising car ownership.
Tramore is as much a commuter town as a seaside resort. With a population exceeding 8,000, it has become the third most car-dependent community in the State, with 67 per cent of its commuters driving to work in Waterford. Others come in from Clonmel, Carrick-on-Suir, Dungarvan and New Ross.
Although there is potential to double public transport's share by 2020, the base is very low. Bus Éireann carries about 2,200 passengers a day on five routes serving Waterford city while a private operator, Kenneallys, carries about 1,900 on a single route serving the Dunmore road.
PLUTS, the Waterford Planning, Land Use and Transportation Study proposes a new cross-city "green route" between WIT and Belview Port, running via the quays and Rice Bridge, on which buses would have priority. Consultants are also being appointed to design the city's first bus lanes.
The availability of parking on the quays explains why Waterford has only one multi-storey car-park - a hideous structure, clad in corrugated metal sheeting, behind Michael Street and New Street. This eyesore may be covered up if plans proceed for a retail development on the adjoining site.
PLUTS envisages a new bridge across the Suir, linking the north and south quays, exclusively for the use of pedestrians, as if to make up for the inadequacy of Rice Bridge. But it is clear that this will only become a live project if ambitious redevelopment plans for the North Quays materialise.
Under the South East Regional Planning Guidelines, adopted earlier this year, the proposed N9 motorway/dual-carriageway linking Waterford with Dublin is seen as the number one priority for transport investment, ahead of other road schemes or rail improvements.
The guidelines envisage developing Waterford as a "compact city" of 70,000 (up from about 45,000 today), with a further 50,000 living within 20 minutes commuting time. It would become the hub of a "polycentric region" involving Kilkenny, Wexford and Clonmel working together (for a change).
The biggest bugbear to road development in the area is Woodstown, now known to be the ninth century Viking longphort which pre-dated the foundation of Waterford. This immensely important archaeological site lies directly on the proposed route of the N25 Waterford city bypass.
The Save Viking Waterford Action Group has called on the Minister for the Environment, Mr Roche, to order a full excavation of the Woodstown site, which has been described by Prof Donnchadh Ó Corráin of UCC as "the most significant new find in Viking studies in perhaps a century".
Two weeks ago, it was revealed in The Irish Times that the National Roads Authority was preparing contingency plans to re-route the €200 million road to avoid the Viking site, if requested to do so by Mr Roche after he receives a final archaeological report on its significance in a matter of weeks.