Category Archives: Meath County Council

Meath County Council

Park & Stride – Notice of Motion

7 Notice of Motion

7.1 Submitted by Councillor Trevor Golden

We call on the Trim Municipal District of Meath County Council to carry out a Park &
Stride trial in Trim and bring findings to Municipal District members for consideration.

Response:
The Parking section will carry out a trial “park and stride” promotion in Trim. This trial will be run for a 3-month period in which the section will promote Park & Stride / Walk the last K. 2 carparks will be utilized for this promotion where drivers can park at Tower View all day parking for €2.00 or free parking in The Council Offices on the Summerhill Road. The parking section will report to the members on this trial its outcomes and recommendations.

Parking on Footpaths – Notice of Question

6 Notice of Question
6.1 Submitted by Councillor Trevor Golden

For years 2022, 2023 and 2024 to date, how many tickets were issued for vehicles parked on footpaths?

RESPONSE:
Navan, Trim and Kells
2022 – Number of Fines: 422
2023 – Number of Fines: 423
2024 – January Number of Fines: 25


Trim Town
2022 – Number of Fines: 101
2023 – Number of Fines: 74
2024 – January Number of fines: 2

Free Recycling Day Initiatives – Notice of Motion

9 Notice of Motion
9.3 Submitted by Councillor Trevor Golden


“I call on Meath County Council to increase the number of ‘free day’ initiatives for residential customers using Recycling Centres which are very successful, to facilitate a greater use of the Recycling Centres.”

Response

Meath County Council provides a number of ‘Free Drop Off Days’ each year to encourage the use of the Recycling Centres for the management of specific waste streams and prevent the use of illegal ‘Man in a Van’ operators. Each year 500 tonnes of bulky waste and 1,500 mattresses are collected through these free events. The 2024 schedule of ‘Free Drop Off Days’ is prepared utilising the available allocation as agreed as part of the 2024revenue budget. When preparing the 2025 budget and developing the 2025 schedule, the number and type of these initiatives will be reviewed.

LED Upgrade of Public Lighting – Notice of Question

8 Notice of Question
8.4 Submitted by Councillor Trevor Golden

“Can we have a progress report on the upgrade of public lighting to LED?”

Response
Meath County Council is part of the Eastern Regional Contract with eight other counties that is being lead by Kilkenny County Council. Project management and programme delivery are currently under review. The actual installation is not in line with initial planned timelines; the lead authority is in detailed discussions with the contractor in respect of accelerating the programme and endeavouring to make up the delays.

Free Parking under Free Travel Scheme – Notice of Motion

9.5 Submitted by Councillor Trevor Golden
“We call on Meath County Council to examine the feasibility of introducing Free Parking for Meath residents, who qualify for the Free Travel Scheme.”

Response
The primary objective of parking charges is to create turnover of spaces in town centre for customers and clients of retail, business and services. The provision of free parking impedes this objective. Meath County Council grants free parking only to disabled permits holder in specific disabled bays and in any parking bays if all specific bays are occupied, a high level feasibility study will be undertaken which considers our overall corporate objectives.

Traffic Management M1, M2/N2, M3 & M4. – Notice of Motion

10 General Interest Motions
10.5 Submitted by Councillor Trevor Golden

“That Meath County Council calls on Transport Infrastructure Ireland to implement traffic management on motorways and arterial routes (M1, M2, N2, M3 and M4), in particular at points of congestion, as these areas pose a higher risk for road users.”

Meath County Council HVO Trial – Notice of Question

8.5 Submitted by Councillor Trevor Golden

“Can we have an update on the HVO trial please?”

Response
In April 2024, Meath County Council commenced a trial with 10 vehicles of various sizes, ranging from a small van up to a large truck. During this trial there were no issues reported with any of the vehicles and the feedback from the drivers shows no difference to driving performance or fuel usage. By the start of August, 5,827 litres of HVO had been used, resulting in a reduction of CO2 of 16,222kg which is the equivalent to an 88% reduction in CO2 emissions. Odometer readings are being used for each vehicle on the trial to generate the MPG for each vehicle to assess the efficiency of each vehicle and compare against other similar vehicles. As part of the trial, 9,000 litres of HVO was ordered and this is expected to be fully utilised by mid to late September. Following the completion of the trial, the costs and performance will be assessed.

Shared Space Zones – Notice of Question

8.3 Submitted by Councillor Trevor Golden

“By Municipal District, how many designated Shared Spaces Zones are in County Meath?”

Response
Meath County Council currently do not have shared zones. We have approximately 109 slow zones which are used in housing estates that have a 30kph speed limit, the numbers per MD are as follows;

Ashbourne – 22
Kells – 22
Laytown – 10
Navan – 23
Ratoath – 22
Trim – 10
Slow zones utilise a similar sign to F404 in the Traffic Signs Manual.

Shared space zones are however being considered where appropriate on schemes in Ratoath, Navan and Dunboyne.

Motion calling for the consideration of Nuclear Power Generation in Ireland.

Over the years I have spoken about Nuclear Power in many contexts including Global Warming, Energy Security, Sustainability and Government Policy. Cllr. Alan Tobin also spoke on these issues and we share many views on the subject. In October I reached out to Cllr. Alan Tobin to co-sponsor a motion.

The Electricity Regulation Act, 1999 reads:

(6) An order under this section shall not provide for the use of nuclear fission for the generation of electricity.

This legislation has effectively stopped Ireland talking about Nuclear Energy. The purpose of the motion is for our country to have an honest debate about Nuclear energy and its possible role in our transition to low carbon electricity generation.

The motion does not propose or suggest renewables are not the future, they are but there is a difficult transition period ahead of us. Crucially, we don’t have the time. We believe a mix of nuclear and renewables is a viable solution for Ireland.

At the December 2022 meeting of Meath County Council our motion on the Electricity Regulation Act & Nuclear Power Generation was debated and passed by the members. The motion:

10.2 Submitted by Councillor Trevor Golden and Councillor Alan Tobin (Deferred fromOctober and November Meetings)

“Meath County Council calls on the Government to amend the Electricity Regulation Act and associated legislation to allow for the consideration and possible implementation of nuclear power generation in Ireland.”

The motion was sent to Government and to all local authorities for their consideration. We continue to work with elected members and groups so Ireland can have an honest debate on Nuclear Power Generation.

Here is a link to my notes that I worked from for the debate – Cllr Trevor Golden – Motion – Nuclear Power – Electricity Generation Act.pdf

Link to Meath Chronicle Article – Should nuclear power be generated in Ireland? – that is the question posed by two councillors at a Meath County Council meeting.

Link to 12-2022 Minutes December Meath County Council.

Road Sweeper – Trim Municipal District 2021

The following dates have been arranged for sweeps of the villages in Trim Municipal District:

SummerhillMonday 22nd March 2021
LongwoodTuesday 23rd March 2021
ClonardTuesday 23rd March 2021
RathmolyonTuesday 23rd March 2021
BallivorWednesday 24th March 2021
KildalkeyWednesday 24th March 2021
EnfieldThursday 25th March 2021
Enfield/Ring RoadFriday 26th March 2021