The Ennis Municipal District office of Clare County Council signed a contract with SYSTRA Ltd for the delivery of the Ennis Area Based Transport Assessment and Local Transport Plan.
Funded under the National Transport Authority’s Active Travel Investment Programme, the Plan will guide funding for future transportation projects across Ennis and surrounding areas, including road, cycle, and pedestrian infrastructure.
Mayor of Ennis Municipal District, Cllr Pat Daly, said the involvement of the public and Elected Members in the development of the Plan is central to the plan-making process.
He said: “The development of this plan is extremely important for everyone who lives in and visits Ennis. It aims to identify future projects for improving mobility for pedestrians, motorists and cyclists throughout the town and surrounding areas. I would urge the public and my colleagues on Clare County Council to participate and help inform how our town develops in the year ahead. A thriving county town benefits the entire county so it’s key that we plan for the future in a way that attracts input from everyone.”
Carmel Kirby, Director of Economic Development and Ennis Municipal District (MD), Clare County Council, said all future transportation projects will be dependent on Ennis having a Local Transport Plan (LTP) as required for a Key Town under the Southern Region Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy.
Ms Kirby explained, “The Area Based Transport Assessment (ABTA) will be a transportation strategy for the development of the town. It will identify viable and appropriate solutions to Ennis’s future transportation requirements.”
She continued, “The first stage of the ABTA process will be to examine various levels of policies and objectives from international, national, regional and local Plans, the area characteristics, existing travel patterns, existing transport infrastructure, baseline consultation, schools’ consultation and environmental conditions. This should give a clear understanding of the existing spatial characteristics, land uses, transport conditions and constraints relating to Ennis.”
Ms Kirby said there will be several occasions during the plan-making process where consultation will be carried out to obtain inputs, concerns and the opinions of the Ennis MD Councillors and the public.
Consulting and engineering firm SYSTRA Ltd has significant experience, both in Ireland and abroad, in carrying out transport planning including the ABTA and LTP processes in Ireland.
The delivery of the Ennis Area Based Transport Assessment and Local Transport Plan will be carried out over the next year.
See https://www.clarecoco.ie/ for more information.