Client: Fingal County Council
DBFL were commissioned by FCC to prepare the Balbriggan Active Travel and Transport Plan to support the Rejuvenation Plan and help underpin Balbriggan’s future growth as a compact and self-sustaining town, as envisaged by national, regional, and local planning policy framework. The Plan identifies improvements to active travel infrastructure, greenways, and permeability links, as well as accessibility to schools and public transport. DBFL are also advising on a number of realm projects including the URDF funded Quay Street and Harbour Area that received Part 8 approval in early 2023
Balbriggan saw rapid expansion during the 2000s and is one of Ireland’s fastest growing towns with a sizeable youth population. Improvements to its amenities and the public realm have generally not kept pace with population growth – the local economy and town centre have struggled, perception of the place is poor, and previous plans have failed to be implemented. In response to this, Fingal County Council unveiled the 50 million ‘Our Balbriggan -Rejuvenation Plan’ in 2021 that contains a number of ambitious regeneration projects to revitalise its town centre and harbour area, improve its public realm and event space and to incorporate the landmark Fingal Coastal Way.
The Active Travel and Transport Plan followed methodology established by the NTA and TII’s Area Based Transport Assessment (ABTA) Guidance Note and is outlined in more detail below. Part 1 of the process involved a Baseline Assessment to create an understanding of the existing local transport environments and how it serves all users. Firstly, all relevant national, regional, and local policies were reviewed, following which desktop studies and site visits were undertaken to fully develop an appreciation for the existing transport network in and around the town. DBFL examined modal share data, collision data, baseline emissions data, and POWSCAR data. A large package of traffic, parking and air quality surveys were also undertaken, with the results helping to inform optioneering and understanding of the baseline existing in the town, as well as informing our strategic, Local Area Model (LAM), microsimulation and junction models. A Baseline Traffic Survey Summary Report was completed to establish baseline travel and parking conditions in Balbriggan.
DBFL produced a Context Report which included case studies of cities/towns that have comparable characteristics to Balbriggan. A high-level indicative movement and placemaking strategy of the Study Area identifying key areas for improvement was completed, and six overarching transport objectives were identified. Subsequently, the team developed the Option Development and Assessment with a long list of potential options and interventions to improve the overall quality of the transport environment in Balbriggan. These were presented to FCC before being brought forward to the Options Assessment stage. At this stage, a two-stage sifting process was applied. The options development stage was supported by early public consultation and engagement with key stakeholders including transport agencies, local residents’ groups, employers, and schools.
The NTA’s Eastern Regional Model (ERM) was the primary modelling tool, providing the overarching information on forecast travel demand for each mode of transport, and supported by other modelling tools to provide more granular level traffic information. For this purpose, a cordoned road (motor vehicle only) based LAM of the immediate area around Balbriggan was used in combination with a multi-modal Microsimulation Model of the core study area of Balbriggan Town Centre and Local Junction Models, which all worked in tandem with the NTA’s strategic Eastern Regional Model (ERM). Following the Options Assessment stage, the transport proposals and measures within the Active Travel and Transport Plan were developed, validated and sense-checked within this hierarchical modelling framework. A Transport Modelling and Assessment Report was produced to support the overall Plan. As such to support the Our Balbriggan Rejuvenation Plan, the Balbriggan Active Travel and Transport Plan was produced based on an analysis of the town’s current and planned transportation and active travel routes, infrastructure and parking provision, its incremental population growth, physical regeneration, economic and visitor potential, and transition towards low carbon transport modes in order to maximise the efficient movement of people.
Furthermore, the Plan provides a strategic review and recommendations in respect of the efficient movement of people and traffic, a particular focus on Main St. and the core of the town, but also having regard to the connectivity to residential, industrial and amenity areas and the feasibility of one-way traffic systems at key locations, with recommendations for potential implementation. The Plan is in currently in tail end of the Stage 5 of the ABTA with a Preliminary Draft Plan under review by the FCC & NTA. Completion and publication of the Final Plan is planned for Q1 of 2024.
The Active Travel and Transport Plan prioritises sustainable transport incluiding a revamp of the existing Balbriggan Trasin station and connectivity with bus services. The Plan identifies a number of Safe Routes to School projects, reallotes road space to support walking and cycling, integrates with the Fingal Coastal Way and identifies a new E-W greenway utilising the undergrounded Clonard Brook. The Plan also utilised air quality surveys and set ambitous mode share targets for walking and cycling to school and linked trips with public transport
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