Sinn Féin TD for Wicklow, John Brady, has today hit out at the revelation that €1.45 million has been spent this year alone on the proposed N11/M11 bus priority interim scheme, which includes the deeply flawed and widely opposed plan to close Herbert Road in Bray.
Deputy Brady secured a debate in the Dáil to raise serious concerns about the proposal and was given the €1.45 million figure by the Minister of State in the Department of Transport, Seán Canney, during the exchange. He described the decision to proceed with such a level of spending as “completely illogical and disconnected from the needs and wishes of local people,” and expressed alarm at the scale of public funding being allocated to a scheme overwhelmingly rejected by the community and local representatives.
“The fact that €1.45 million has been spent this year on a proposal that has no community backing and lacks a credible rationale is completely unacceptable,” said Deputy Brady. “This figure doesn’t just highlight poor judgment – it shows a brazen disregard for public opinion and fiscal responsibility.
The Herbert Road proposal has faced consistent and vocal opposition from local residents, councillors, and businesses. Thousands of submissions have been made objecting to this illogical and nonsensical proposal — yet those voices have not been listened to. This latest financial revelation confirms the fears that vast public resources are being poured into a project that should never have been pursued in the first place.
“I brought the legitimate concerns of those residents and business owners into the Dáil and expressed their serious concerns about the proposal to close the Herbert Road and the fact that they have been ignored. I called on the Minister to agree to meet a delegation of those who will be directly impacted by this ludicrous proposal. I am now awaiting a reply from the Minister and will continue to keep the pressure on to ensure that he agrees to that meeting, listens to the people affected, and stops this crazy proposal in its tracks.”
“This money could and should have been spent on real transport solutions that reflect the needs of the people of Wicklow – improved infrastructure that enhances, not damages, our community. The traffic throughout Bray and on the N11 is often at gridlock, and with funding for major N11 upgrades pulled by the previous Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, this measure will do nothing to alleviate the problem.”
Deputy Brady confirmed he will continue to pursue the matter in the Dáil and hold both TII and the Minister for Transport to account for what he has described as an “alarming and questionable expenditure of taxpayer money.”
“The people of Wicklow deserve transparency, accountability, and most of all, common-sense decision-making. I will continue to oppose this illogical and damaging project every step of the way.”
ENDS
For more information contact: Deputy John Brady 085-8546464
