Fianna Fail Cllr Caroline O’Reilly has asked Meath County Council officials for details of the implementation traffic management plan at Batterstown on the R154. She told a meeting of Ratoath Municipal District that she was asking the question in the context of the safety of children attending Rathregan National School. She asked for details of the start time and completion of the project.
Officials replied that in 2021 it had installed two speed control ramps on the approaches to the school. In September 2023 the Part 8 planning process was commenced for a proposal to provide a traffic calming scheme including the provision of kerbing, footpaths, raised pedestrian crossings, parking, bus stops, traffic islands, lighting, drainage and other ancillary works. On 27th May 2024 an order was made confirming the decision pursuant to the Chief Executive’s report submitted to the municipal district members that the proposed development could proceed subject to one condition – the provision of an additional speed control ramp on the Dublin side of the school within the
development boundary.
They said that the council had been in discussion with the Department of Transport to source funding for the project. While funding was allocated this year for two schemes in the Ratoath MD (R156 Mullagh Cross Newtownmoyaghy Safety Improvement schemes) no allocation was notified for for the current year for the proposed Batterstown project . The council would continue to liaise with the Department of Transport on the issue
Cllr O’Reilly said she was not happy with the response. This project was not for her but for the children and their parents and the answer from the council didn’t really provide any hope.
