Deputy Michael Lowry receives commitment from Minister Ryan on Tipperary town by-pass

Tipperary town is to be a case study for planning students from Queens University Belfast

placeholder image — Tipperary town is to be a case study for planning students from Queens University Belfast

‘A Good Day for Tipperary Town and it's time to give the town back to the people - Deputy Lowry

Deputy Michael Lowry has received a firm commitment from the Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan TD., that a by-pass of Tipperary Town will be built in advance of the Motorway Link between Cahir and Limerick Junction.

Deputy Lowry told the Minister in the Dail today: "In March of this year you agreed with my expression that Tipperary town should be liberated from the scourge of traffic congestion. Where do you stand on this issue now? Will funding be provided for this project? Will a by-pass of Tipperary Town be built? Can you publicly reiterate that the people of Tipperary Town can look forward to clean air and freedom from fumes?

"The time for talking about freeing this town from chaotic congestion and poisonous pollution is over. The time for sympathising with the people who are subjected to these conditions has come and gone. The time for rhetoric has passed. It is now time to tackle this problem with decisive action," stated the Tipperary Deputy.

Minister Eamon Ryan

In response to Deputy Lowry, Minister Ryan replied: "What I have often said to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), will say again and am glad to put on the record here in the Dail, that in looking at the upgrade from the Cahir to Limerick Junction roadway, which is what they have been commissioned to do, we should look at the option and should proceed with a by-pass of Tipp town first and foremost, which could, as the road is later developed, be part of a wider upgrade of the road. But, first things first, rescue Tipp Town from the excess domination that through traffic, particularly heavy freight, provides through it.

"I think it’s a perfect example of what we can do with a smaller Budget allocation, get a bigger return in terms of advancing that ‘Town Centre First’ policy. It’s perfect in terms of Balanced Regional Development, it helps Compact Development, it helps Low Carbon Development, which are the centre-points of our Transport Strategy. I think, as we do that, Tipperary Council have a perfect opportunity to really transform the centre of the town, to take as much through traffic out as possible, to re-improve the public realm.

"What we’ve seen in towns where we’ve done that, such as Clonakilty, are incredibly thriving towns, in part, because they took the through traffic out, they put pedestrianization in.

"We can do the same in Tipperary town. That’s what I’ll be saying to TII – allocate, make sure we get the design of that right, we get that built first. That is priority roads investment’

Deputy Michael Lowry