'We are not anti-car' - says WCC's chief executive

Westmeath County Council’s recently appointed chief executive says that the local authority wants to work with councillors and the wider community to address Mullingar’s long standing traffic congestion problems.

In a wide ranging interview with the Westmeath Examiner this week, Barry Kehoe said that work is ongoing to try to improve traffic flow in the centre of Mullingar at busy periods.

He said that the council have a duty to respond to the feedback they receive from councillors, business owners and the public about traffic problems in the town.

“We’re not going to get up there on a high horse and argue with people that there’s no problem when people perceive there is a problem. It’s a problem that we need to address, in cooperation with the members and in cooperation with the people of the town.

“We’re working on that, and we’ll be talking to the members about that in the coming weeks and months. We’re advancing proposals to try to address that, both for the members and the people in the town.”

While stating that the council are “not anti-car”, Mr Kehoe also said that with the population of Mullingar projected to increase significantly over the next 15 years, motorists will have to modify their behaviour.

“People have been used to being in cars and parking outside the door [of shops and other businesses] for generations, but that just can’t really be done any more in many cases. I think people are adapting. People will adapt – provided that the alternatives are put in place.

“That is the critical thing. We can’t be discouraging or making it difficult for cars without providing an alternative. That’s why the local bus service that’s to be put in next year is so important and it’s important that it’s a viable alternative for people.

“Safe cycling facilities also provide an alternative for people and electric bikes and scooters now are easy to get and cheap. If the facilities are in place and they’re used correctly, they’re a safe option for people, as well.”

Regarding a town bus service, Mr Kehoe is confident that it will quickly become an integral part of the infrastructure of Mullingar. “The brilliant thing about the town service, and I’ve seen it in Athlone over the years, is that it’s visible. It’s frequent. It’s on the particular routes where the greatest demand is, and because of that, then, people use it. It’s cheap as well. The visibility is important, that the buses are running there all the time. The stops are there. The timetable is there.

“People know they can rely on it and it’ll bring them conveniently and easily from A to B every day of the week: to school, to work, to shopping, whatever it is that you want to do, to go for a pint in the evening, there it is for you.”

Read Mr Kehoe’s thoughts on a range of issues on pages 7, 8 and 9.