The March4Tipp group has commenced a programme of measuring the adverse environmental effects from the heavy N24 traffic through Tipperary Town.
Padraig Culbert, an activist with March4Tipp said “on a number of occasions over the years, former Councillor Denis Leahy asked Tipperary County Council to carry out environmental monitoring of the pollution levels being caused by the N24 traffic through our town. The Council did nothing about it, so we decided we would do something ourselves. Using our own resources, we have purchased scientific monitoring equipment. The equipment will measure noise pollution along the route of the N24 through the town, as well as traffic-related forms of air pollution such as particulates, nitrogen dioxide and volatile organic compounds.
“Recently, concerned residents from O’Connell Road and other areas affected by the intended diversion of N24 traffic through residential areas asked the Council about monitoring the environmental and health impacts of this diverted traffic. Again, nothing happened. The World Health Organisation has pointed out the serious health consequences from noise and other pollution from road traffic. The 7,000 traffic movements through Tipperary Town are leaving a health impact behind them, but nobody in the Council or Government seems to want to know about this. Tipperary Town needs an outer relief road in the short term, to rid the town of this health-impacting traffic as soon as possible” he said.
March4Tipp County Councillor Annemarie Ryan said that the economic impact of the N24 on the town is well known, “but we don’t know the health impact of the traffic, and we need to know. It is too important an issue so that is why we decided to get our own monitoring equipment. I have children who live, shop and go to school in this town and I want to know what impact the heavy traffic might be having on them. People are living all along the N24 route through town and we deserve to know what price we might be paying for the failure to bypass the town. The Government has failed to get the traffic out of our town and, while I hope that the results of our monitoring show that everything is OK, I have a feeling that we will end up with evidence that proves the urgency of getting this awful traffic out of the town. At the very least we need an outer relief road to get the heavy traffic away from residential areas. The previous so-called solution by the Council was an inner relief road that would have just moved the traffic and the pollution to other residential areas. There has to be an outer relief road soon, because the town can’t wait 10 to 15 years for a bypass”.
March4Tipp will be engaging with businesses and residents along the N24 route through town to identify suitable premises and houses to install the monitoring equipment. The plan is to install the equipment in a range of locations, probably for a day at a time. It is also intended to install the equipment along O’Connell Road and O’Brien Street to examine the impact of the N24 diversion that will commence shortly. The results from the monitoring will be referred to pollution experts for an opinion on any health impacts before the results are published. Recording and monitoring will take place over the coming weeks.
