There is “chronic under investment” in rural transport according to latest statistics contained in the new Census of Population 2022 report, published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), a TD has claimed.
The latest census report by the CSO shows that the population grew faster in the eastern part of the country and that the east also has the youngest population, while counties Mayo, Kerry, Roscommon and Leitrim have the oldest population.
According to the Sligo-Leitrim Independent TD, Marc McSharry, it also highlights the disparity in investment between rural and urban transport infrastructure.
Deputy McSharry acknowledged that there had been developments in the west of the country, including the Atlantic Technological University, he said overall there was lack of infrastructure in rural areas.
Deputy McSharry said that “young people also need to be provided with the jobs and the infrastructure to be able to stay there, that means roads, it means rail, buses, and infrastructure.”
He said rural transport had been “neglected by government” and the situation was now “stark”.
“In the northwest of the country in particular there has been chronic underinvestment by consecutive governments.
“I refer specifically to improvements of the N17 which is a core part of the Atlantic economic corridor and also Mullingar heading north on the N4”, the deputy told Agriland.
Irish Rural Link
Irish Rural Link (IRL) has also highlighted that the latest census results show “regional imbalance”.
The IRL said:
“While the number of people working from home increased, and many people moved to rural areas during Covid-19, it cannot be viewed as regional balance and should not replace companies having a physical presence in other regions of the country.”
It has welcomed funding from the Department of Rural and Community Development under the towns and villages renewal scheme as well as other funding that supports rural communities.
However, it is now calling for a review of targets in Project 2040 and a revisit to the Hub and Gateway towns that were set out in the National Spatial Strategy 2002-2020.
“Achieving regional balance must be a top priority for this government and successive governments to ensure that people can access quality employment close to where they live,” the IRL stated.
Deputy McSharry has also said that he would also like to see Project 2040 being “prioritised”.
He believes that updates to the N4 and N17 “should be absolutely prioritised as enablers for private investment which can create a counterbalance to the congestion of the Easter conurbation from Dundalk through to Wexford”.