Waterford councillor meets with minister to discuss ‘absurd’ Active Travel decisions

A Waterford councillor has met with the Minister for Transport to discuss the “absurd” way in which decisions over Active Travel schemes are being made locally.

Fianna Fáil councillor Adam Wyse gave details of his meeting with Minister Darragh O’Brien in a video posted on social media.

Cllr Wyse, who is the Mayor of the Metropolitan District, raised concerns over a lack of democracy when it comes to the implementation of Active Travel schemes.

His comments came amid the publication of a controversial review into changes made to the Farronshoneen Roundabout in Waterford city.

Cllr Wyse said: “Today, I met with the Minister for Transport, Darragh O’Brien, to raise serious concerns about the continued use of Section 38 of the Road Traffic Act and the impact it is having on local democracy across the country.

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“Section 38 allows major traffic and infrastructure schemes to be implemented by local authority engineers and Active Travel teams without a vote of elected councillors.

“While I fully accept that engineers must operate within legal, safety and regulatory frameworks, technical compliance cannot replace democratic representation.”

He went on to say that councillors have no real power when it comes to the implementation of Active Travel schemes.

“As councillors, we are elected by the people to represent their views and lived experience.

“Under the current system, we can be shown plans, we can give feedback, but ultimately we have no real power to approve or reject schemes that fundamentally change how our communities function.”

Cllr Wyse added that the situation is “not acceptable in a democratic city or county”. He called on the minister to abolish the current legislation that allows for such decisions to be made.

He stated: “I raised this directly with the Minister today and asked that the use of Section 38 for major infrastructure projects be abolished and that decision-making power be returned to local councillors.

“This is not about councillors seeking power for ourselves. It is about putting power back in the hands of the people we represent.

“There is a clear contradiction in the current system. Someone living in Dublin can object to a planning application in Dunmore East, yet a councillor elected by the people of Waterford has no vote on major infrastructural changes that affect their daily lives. I believe that is absurd.”

The Fianna Fáil councillor continued by saying that the current system means there is little accountability in local governance.

“Councillors have lost significant powers over many years. If I vote for or against a project, I must stand over that decision and face the electorate every five years. That is accountability.

“At present, councillors can say we had no power in the process, and that serves nobody. Democracy only works when elected representatives are responsible for the decisions being made.”

While Cllr Wyse said that he is not against Active Travel schemes generally, he emphasised that these decisions must be made with the support of local councillors.

He outlined the example of the Farronshoneen Roundabout, which has been the subject of much local controversy recently.

“A clear local example is the Farronshoneen Roundabout. For years, I called for cycle lanes leading from the Farronshoneen Roundabout to the schools at Ballygunner.

“Councillors were shown plans that we broadly supported, yet those plans were altered at the last minute.

“Neither councillors nor the public had any meaningful say in those changes, and that is wrong.”

Cllr Wyse criticised a recent review into the changes made at the roundabout, which he believes was not an accurate assessment of the situation.

“A recent council report stated that delays at the Farronshoneen Roundabout increased from three minutes to between 13 and 16 minutes at peak times.

“That assessment was carried out between 4.30pm and 5.30pm, before many people have even left work.

“It does not reflect the reality of delays of over 30 minutes being experienced by commuters, and it does not align with my own experience or that of many residents.”

He also expressed concerns over the impact such changes are having on emergency service vehicles, saying: “You do not go to hospital on a bike, and we cannot ignore the delays being experienced at key junctions across Waterford.”

Cllr Wyse concluded by calling on changes to be made so that councillors could take responsibility for decisions made locally.

“I am not looking for power. I am looking for responsibility. Responsibility to represent the people of Waterford, responsibility to make decisions, and responsibility to stand over those decisions at the ballot box.

“I hope the Minister will give serious consideration to what we discussed today and take steps to return democratic decision-making to local councils.”

Minister O’Brien visited Waterford city for a number of engagements on Friday, January 23.

A meeting was held at City Hall with Sean McKeown, Chief Executive of Waterford City and County Council, Minister Mary Butler and Minister John Cummins.

There they discussed key Department of Transport projects, including climate action, roads, active travel and the transport infrastructure on the North Quays.

Minister O’Brien then visited the Sustainable Transport Bridge and the Transport Hub on the North Quays. His visit came amid a recent announcement of a further €9.1m in funding for Active Travel schemes locally.

The Department of Transport has been approached for comment in the aftermath of Cllr Wyse’s comments.