RESIDENTS OF Slane village in Co Meath yesterday brought all traffic on the N2 to a standstill by walking around the village crossroads to demand that all heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) be banned from Slane and that the village is bypassed immediately.
The crossroads is a major junction of the N2, the main Dublin to Derry road and of the main Drogheda to Slane road, the N51.
The villagers estimate that 200 HGVs an hour drive through Slane during rush hour and statistics compiled by the National Roads Authority estimate 6,400 vehicles a day use the N51 at Slane.
At 9am yesterday, 70 residents walked around the crossroads junction for about 15 minutes.
There are steep hills on the northern and southern approaches to the village and locals say 22 people have lost their lives along a 1.5km stretch of the N2 as it passes into and through Slane. Some fatalities involved lorries that went out of control on the narrow, steep roads.
The protest caused tailbacks of nearly 2km on the N2. Among the protesters were some of the mothers who were involved in a vehicle pile-up in Slane last month. They were driving home after dropping children to school when a truck went out of control and came down the hill towards them. Seven cars and two trucks were involved in the incident.
Although Meath councillors voted to ban all HGVs from going through the village, a council spokesman said: “The director of infrastructure, Eugene Cummins, advised members that such a ban was not a simple matter. A diversion would have serious implications for other towns and villages in the east Meath area. The council is committed to progressing the Slane bypass which will fully address the situation. In the meantime, officials are in discussion with the NRA on the question of interim measures. A report will be brought to the council at the May meeting.”
The NRA says the 6km bypass is at the preliminary design stage and this year’s €500,000 funding will be used to prepare documentation on compulsory purchase orders and an environmental impact statement. The villagers say there would be more protests and they would keep up the pressure for the bypass and the ban.
Minister for Transport and Meath deputy Noel Dempsey said yesterday he wanted the ban on HGVs to be introduced as quickly as possible.