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In
this page we will outline the background to current
public transport policy in Ireland. We will refer to
various policy documents which have been published over
the past number of years, ranging from European to
locally based reports. We will identify the particular
challenges faced by isolated rural communities, such as
Monasterevin in forging their place in our ever expanding
and increasingly centralised economy.
2.1 EUROPEAN UNIONIn 1995
the E.U. published a discussion document entitled
"The Citizens Network; Fulfilling The Potential Of
Public Passengers Transport In Europe". This
document states that effective passenger transport
systems are essential for Europe's economies and for the
quality of life of European citizens. It highlights
the aspiration that;
Public transport should ideally be a service open to
all citizens in terms of accessibility to vehicles and
infrastructure, affordability in terms of fare
levels and availability in terms of coverage of
services".
In a 1998 council directive to the Commission of the
European Communities it was stated that a renewed railway
sector is vital for the future of Europe's transport
system. EU policy is geared toward the greater use of
rail travel, which has the capacity to be the most
efficient, safest and environmentally friendly mode of
transport. The E.U. therefore encourages passengers to
use rail transport rather than the private motorcar,
therefore reducing congestion, pollution and the level of
road accidents. It is ironic, therefore, that while
the Irish section of the Trans-European Rail Network,
established as part of the Maastricht Treaty in 1993,
passes through Monasterevin is of no benefit to our
community as the station is closed and derelict.
2.2
NATIONAL
The central role of mobility to the
development of rural areas was highlighted in a recent
report entitled "Rural Ireland Waiting For a
Life". In this paper a strong correlation is drawn
between transport and economic development. Indeed, the
author concludes that improved transport is a
pre-requisite for modern development, (Kenny 1997). It
has been noted that one of the main challenges facing
rural communities seeking to improve access to and from
their areas, is a lack of coherent government policy
covering rural transport. The Transport Research
Institude in UCD (June 1996), the NESC Report (1994) and
the position paper of the Department of Transport, Energy
and Communication (1996) have pointed this out.
The government published "Operational Programme
1994/1999 for Transport" proposing an integrated
package of investment in transport, including a
substanial proportion for railways (IR £275 Million,
over 10%). The document acknowledges that the internal
transport system is underdeveloped, generally of poor
quality and requires investment. One of the stated aims
of this programme is:
"…To promote economic and social cohesion by
improving accessibility for both passengers and
goods… to and from peripheral, disadvantaged and
border areas…".
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Entrance To
Platform 2!!
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2.3
REGIONAL
The population drain from rural Ireland,
evident over the past number of decades has not only put
the transport infrastructure in the Dublin City area
under strain, it has also impacted similarly on the
surrounding counties including Kildare. The Mid-East
Regional Report outlines the needs and development
requirements of the Mid East Region, the provisions and
co-ordination of the constituent development plans and
the inter-relationship of the region with Dublin. It
suggests that there should be increased emphasis on
public transport and raises the possibility of modal
linear development along the rail lines. It is a stated
objective of the Dublin Transport Initiative to achieve
coherence with development plans including these of the
outlying areas of Countries Kildare, Meath and Wicklow.
It is also government policy, and indeed, that of all the
main political parties, to encourage commuters and others
away from the use of the car and onto public transport,
particularly rail.
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Platform 1
1999!!
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2.4 COUNTY KILDARE
Kildare County Council has produced a
Development Plan for the period up to 2003. County
Kildare is now the fastest growing county in Ireland and
much of it can be regarded as functionally related to
Dublin. Increased house prices there and the improvements
to the road, bus and rail network have resulted in the
spread of population outward from Dublin. This spread is
now reaching Monasterevan and will inevitibly increase
over the coming years. Kildare County Councils policy is
to promote and encourage the spread of development
throughout the county. This will involve growth in the
towns in the south and central areas, and defines a
target population for Monasterevin by 2006 at 3,500
people (similar to that of Kilcock). This will create a
balance within the county and discourage the
over-development now being experienced in the North East,
where local communities are being overwhelmed by new
housing developments. The Council intends to have the M7
motorway, by-passing Monasterevin, completed by the year
2004, and the upgrading of the sewage and water
facilities in the town are imminent.
It is the policy of the Council; "... to support
and promote the use of public rail transportation,
especially to deal with commuter traffic to the Dublin
area and to facilitate the development of improved
services…" The County Council also has a
stated objective that: "…commuter stations
should be opened in Kilcock and Monasterevin, to service
these towns…" It is worth noting that
Kilcock, with a population of 1,825 in 1996, had its
station re-opened in November 1998. While Monasterevin
with 2,302 citizens in the same year, had a platform
removed from its railway station.
IN SUMMARY
In this section we have demonstrated that
there is both a comprehensive and compelling argument
being made from a wide range of sources, encouraging the
use of public transport and that a good public transport
network has social and environmental benefits as well as
being a pre-requiste for economic growth. We have
explored the nature of the population changes in recent
years, and the pressure that this has put on the
transport infrastructure in both Dublin and surrounding
counties. With this in mind and it's inevitable
continuation into the coming millennium, we reviewed the
Kildare county development plan which identifies
Monasterevin as a commuter town to Dublin and explicitly
calls for the re-opening of the railway station.
These arguments, we conclude, speak for themselves and
clearly indicate that the continued closure of the
railway station in Monasterevin is having a negative
impact not only on the town, but the county and region as
a whole.
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