Dundalk team disappointed at Smarter Travel outcome but determined to maintain momentum
The team behind Dundalk’s ambitious bid to become a pilot town for Smarter Travel has expressed disappointment at this week’s announcement that they are not among the three locations to receive substantial central Government funding.
However, they have also said that the work that went into the comprehensive submission will serve the town well as it provides a blueprint for sustainable transport that will now be rolled out over a longer timeframe as alternative funding sources become available.
Cllr Marianne Butler, Cathaoirleach, Dundalk Town Council, said: “Naturally, we’d very much prefer to have been among the three successful locations who will share funding of over €20m. However, that wasn’t to be on this occasion.
“This may owe more to the overall funding for Smarter Travel being halved rather than reflecting the quality of Dundalk’s bid which also had tremendous support from stakeholders right across the town. In fact, it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the inputs from all those who partnered with Dundalk Town Council to make this application.
“In his letter to the Council this week, Alan Kelly TD, Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Transport & Sport, praised the ‘quality, ambition and innovation’ of the proposals put forward and acknowledged that a significantly larger number of locations could have been funded if the overall allocation had not been reduced significantly.”
Catherine Duff, Town Engineer and project manager for Dundalk’s Smarter Travel bid, added: “While we’re obviously very disappointed by the outcome of what has been a lengthy bid process, the earlier funding we received from the Department has been well used in creating a detailed set of proposals for how sustainable transport can work for Dundalk. Implementing these plans will certainly now take longer but they remain a priority and Dundalk has shown great creativity in the past in securing funding to get projects completed.
“While not on the town-wide scale that we proposed in the Smarter Travel bid, we have also been able to make targeted interventions that are making a positive difference in areas like school transport and cycle lanes.
“Like the Cathaoirleach, I want to acknowledge the great team that worked at various levels and times on Dundalk’s Smarter Travel bid. It was a very good example of those with an interest in the town’s future lining out for ‘Team Dundalk’ and while the result wasn’t in our favour this time, that model is one that can and will deliver.”
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