GE2024... Commuting hell goes on for thousands of Meath workers
TRANSPORT
With over 43,000 people leaving the county for work each day and Meath workers having the longest average commute in the country, issues around public transport and commuting are high on the agenda for the electorate.
Census 2022 showed that workers living in Meath face the longest average journey time to work in the country and Meath also recorded the highest rate of commuters travelling for an hour or more to work with more than 17,000 people facing a daily commute of over 60 minutes.
The long awaited rail line between Navan and Dublin took a major step forward this week with confirmation that Iarnród Éireann has appointed consultants to work with the rail company’s in-house project team for the duration of the project.
However, that is of little comfort to the people of Co Meath as the rail line could still be up to a decade away with the project delivery phase envisaged to be between 2030 and 2035 under the NTA’s Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy.
For those living in the east of the county and Drogheda environs who use rail services from Gormanston, Laytown and Drogheda, inequities in fares has been a long running issue and one that Meath Co Council Cathaoirleach Sharon Tolan of Fine Gael has been pushing for some time with her fairer fares campaign.
The National Transport Authority has finally addressed this issue in its National Fares determination in January with the introduction of the Dublin Commuter Zone which extends approximately 50km from Dublin city centre to include towns such as Navan, Trim, Enfield, Laytown, Ashbourne and Drogheda, while bus users in Ashbourne and Ratoath will be included in the Dublin City Zone, leading to a reduction in fares. However, there has been criticism of how long it is taking to implement these changes which were due to come into effect in September but have been postponed until next year due to technology and administration issues.
For those who are relying on buses for commuting, there have been ongoing problems with the 103 service which takes in the large communities of Ratoath and Ashbourne including reliability issues and regular "no-shows" which have been causing huge stress for those trying to get to work or make hospital and other appointments. Meath East Fianna Fáil candidate Caroline O'Reilly recently conducted a transport survey of commuters in both towns to gather evidence of commuter experiences to present to transport chiefs.
Meath county councillors met with representatives from both the NTA and Bus Éireann ahead of the November meeting of the council but expressed frustration afterwards at the short time allocated and the lack of answers on the pressing issues.
Aontú's Emer Tóibín has also been raising issues also with the Navan bus service between no-shows, buses being late and people having to stand on buses due to lack of capacity as well as highlighting the lack of proper shelters to protect commuters from the elements.
For many, their route to work means public transport is just not an option and they have no choice but to drive, leaving them counting the cost of tolls.
Speaking in Meath last week, Taoiseach Simon Harris acknowledged the cost of tolls was an issue. "I know there is a real issue around tolls and people who are commuting back and forth and it's a major issue in Meath. I think we need to have a real review and reset on that. I know Pascal Donohoe and Helen McEntee have been very clear on that and want to look at that whole issue of tolls and assist people with their cost of commuting".
School transport is also a major issue each year causing huge stress for parents and students.
For those on concessionary tickets, it's a lottery as to whether their application will be successful even if the bus passes their door while in other areas like Rathcore where demand has been demonstrated for a dedicated service to Trim, parents have to travel up to 10km to the nearest bus stop if they are even lucky enough to get a ticket for their child.