Council urges community to back Navan's €50m travel bid

The local community is being encouraged to get behind Navan's bid to secure a share of €50m in funding available under the Department of Transport's Smarter Travel competition. Navan is one of just 11 towns that have been shortlisted for the competition and, if successful in its bid, will have access to funding of €50m for sustainable transport projects over the next five years. A dedicated website www.navansmartertravel.ie has been launched where the public can submit their ideas on sustainable transport for the town and find out more about the Smarter Travel initiative. The vision behind Navan's bid is creating the "10-minute town" where all amenities and services are accessibly within 10 minutes by public transport, walking or cycling. The competition aims to fund innovative sustainable travel projects by developing plans and measures that will encourage and support people to change the way they travel into and around the town. Getting people out of their cars and making it safe and convenient to use public transport, cycle or walk in Navan, is the thinking behind the bid. The aim is to improve transport provision to encourage people to leave their cars at home and utilise other more sustainable methods of transport, thus reducing Navan's carbon footprint. All sectors of the community are being encouraged to get behind and support Navan's bid and to express their views and opinions by completing a questionnaire and register comments on a new website dedicated to the project. Calling on everyone in Navan to get involved, Navan's Mayor, Cllr Joe Reilly, said: "I am appealing to all members of the community to get involved, to actively participate and support our town's bid. This is the equivalent of our World Cup, with the ultimate prize having the potential to completely transform our future. The website, www.navansmartertravel.ie, is interactive, user-friendly and the questionnaire is short and easy to complete." Navan is one of 11 towns and cities remaining in the competition following its success in coming through the first phase last year. The successful towns/cities will then have access to a total fund of up to €50m available over the next five years to introduce measures which will create a more sustainable and 'travel-friendly' town. Welcoming the bid, Meath County Manager Tom Dowling said: "This is an opportunity for all to shape the future of our town by making it a more attractive place to live, work and socialise. A town that is environmentally sustainable, with a people-friendly town centre and high-quality public services is the vision behind this bid and the funding that would then be available will completely transform Navan into one of the finest towns in the country."