Sir, – As a lifelong resident, I was heartened to read your report on the environmental catastrophe in the historic village of Julianstown, Co Meath, caused by heavy traffic (“‘The forgotten village’: a population of 700, yet 22,000 vehicles pass through it per day”, News, September 22nd).
The report, however, gives the impression of widespread opposition to the proposed bypass of the village which would also involve significant public realm works to reverse decades of neglect and dereliction and restore the village to the vibrancy I remember as a child.
Julianstown residents have campaigned for more than 40 years for this project and want to see it through to completion. Local councillors voted to include the project in the Meath County Development Plan in 2021. When the current phase was launched in June, it was unanimously supported by the same councillors.
The proposal for a western bypass and public realm works enjoys widespread public support – not just from village residents – but also from the thousands of people in the wider area who suffer from severe traffic congestion.
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It’s all well and good for opponents of a project to propose superficially appealing alternative solutions that are either unworkable or unaffordable, but this just delays the inevitable.
The heavy traffic in Julianstown is destroying the fabric of a beautiful village and standing in the way of much-needed housing development in the wider area. There is on the table a solution that local people want built as quickly as possible. – Yours, etc,
FRED LOGUE,
Former chair of the Julianstown and District Residents Association,
Julianstown,
Co Meath.
