White crosses a reminder of death visited upon village

The 22 white crosses which have been erected beside Slane Bridge are a continuing and poignant reminder of the 22 deaths which have occurred in accidents at the bridge over the years. A large crowd of local people turned out on Sunday afternoon for a demonstration of support for the proposed Slane bypass beside the crosses at the bottom of Mill Hill, beside the bridge, which has been the scene of several horrific crashes and deaths. Among those who attended to show their support were Deputy Shane McEntee and Senator Dominic Hannigan. Conor Brady of the Bypass Slane Campaign said the case for a bypass of Slane is clear – the N2 through Slane has repeatedly visited tragedy on the Slane community over a period of some 40 years. The lives of every man, woman and child living in Slane are put at risk on a daily basis as well as those of the many other users of the N2 passing through the village each day, he said. He pointed out that the recent closure of the bridge showed that a HGV ban would not be the solution as it only diverted traffic around minor roads in the area. “The Bypass Slane Campaign is appealing to all parties participating in the upcoming oral hearing to engage in honest, fair and balanced debate, and to treat the situation in Slane with the seriousness that it deserves,†he said. He added that the Slane community was fully aware that construction of the bypass would have an impact on the local environment and heritage, including an indirect impact on the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site, but locals strongly believe that the enormous benefits to the wider community in Slane would overwhelmingly outweigh any impact on the Brú na Bóinne site, which is a significant distance from the proposed road. “It seems clear that predicted impacts can be minimised easily through good design of the road,†he said. Cllr Wayne Harding said the people of Slane see the planning application for the Slane bypass as its last chance of delivering real safety to the people of Slane. He added that there was frustration within the community that, after many years of campaigning, no sooner than the project gets on a planning footing, then there is a very carefully orchestrated campaign of objection against it.