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By Amy Fitzgibbon
A major study commissioned by Waterford Corporation is expected to produce a long term strategy for transportation in the city including the reduction of the number of cars commuting to work in
Waterford. The Planning, Land use and Transportation study (PLUTS) is part of the draft city development plan. It is expected to be completed by Autumn 2002 and will deliver both long and short term strategy in the area of transportation and planning in the city.
The main aims of the study are to meet the infrastructural and developmental needs of the expanding city and to promote the city as a major growth centre for economic development.
The study will also address issues relating to predicted increases in car ownership; the impact of the Waterford city by-pass on future development in both rural and urban areas; road capacity and traffic management on existing networks; the scope for constraining traffic growth and the provision of facilities for cyclists and pedestrians; Waterford port and the regional airport.
According to the roads and transportation section in the city development plan, Waterford Corporation have identified the importance of maintaining and improving accessibility to the city centre as the core commercial, social and cultural centre of the greater Waterford area. To that end, a key element of strategy produced by PLUTS will be to reduce the attraction and necessity of commuting to work by private car, while providing for shopping, businesses, and leisure trips.
The proposed strategy will advocate the increased use of public transport, cycling and walking. It will do this by
facilitating the development of an improved bus service in the city, the development of a network of cycle ways, investigating the provision of park and ride facilities and allocating additional priority to pedestrians in traffic management, and developing additional pedestrian routes.
The strategy will also include the provision of additional road capacity, subject to environmental considerations, to allow for the removal of heavy volumes of though traffic in the city.
Waterford Today
Page 5
Wednesday
8th August 2001
www.waterford-today.ie
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