Roads To Nowhere?

There were quite a few double-takes at yesterday’s public consultation for proposed solutions to the N11’s crippling traffic.

In among the sensible and not-so-sensible suggestions, there was the little matter of putting a road straight through the middle of Delgany Golf Course.

Be. The. Jiggers.

We’re guessing that idea popped into someone’s head around 4am. After a wild party. For one.

There’s no question that the commute around these parts has long been a nightmare, and with the arrival of thousands of new homes over the coming years, it’s only going to get worse.

Which is why a major overhaul of the existing N11 – originally built in 1991 in the belief, it would appear, that we’d all still be on horseback today – is to be welcomed. Just what that overhaul might entail was revealed at a public consultation yesterday in The Glenview Hotel.

Besides the bonkers notion of putting a road through Delgany Golf Club (rendering it, reckoned a club spokesperson this morning, pretty much unfit for purpose), other suggestions included widening the existing road through the Glen Of The Downs nature reserve, or taking the high road, literally, with an 8km bypass closer to the Sugar Loaf before rejoining the N11 west of Kilpedder. 

In regard to the Delgany Golf Club, there were actually two options revealed by Transport Infrastructure Ireland’s regional design office to bypass the Glen to the east, both proposals intersecting right in the middle of Delgany Golf Club. These options would also cut across Blackberry Lane.

Separate plans to ease the traffic congestion between Bray and Kilmacanogue saw three proposals on the table, including a 2.7km dual carriageway to the west, passing through Rocky Valley, widening the existing N11 route, or a 5.3km route east of Kilmacanogue, rising towards the Little Sugar Loaf.

Whilst pretty much everyone at yesterday’s public consultation agreed that upgrades to the existing N11 route were needed, many were unhappy with the proposals on offer. Dermot McCarthy, a Delgany Golf Club member, told The Irish Times that he was in shock, whilst Leonard Doyle and his wife, Patricia, feared they would lose their homes should that high road through the Willow Grove go ahead.

For his part, public liaison officer for the scheme Christopher Bradish stressed that all route options were just options, pointing out that the project was a difficult one because of the presence of the Glen Of The Downs, the mountains and coastal villages. He also stated that avoiding community severance was a key priority.

With work on the N11 upgrade not due to start until 2027, there’s clearly going to be a lot more kicking and screaming to come. Both inside and outside the car.