Petition to keep traffic away from Murrough

March 1992

A PETITION calling for parking facilities which will keep vehicles off the outer part of the Murrough in Wicklow town and slow down the pace of erosion at this ecologically sensitive area has recevied the backing of a county-wide environmental organisation.

The Wicklow County Environmental Group is supporting the petition, which has been organised by Wicklow town resident Billy Forde, calling on the Urban District Council to take measures which will protect the Murrough from the damage caused by high levels of traffic.

The Murrough has long been one of the outstanding natural areas on the east coast, made up of the unusual peninsula of land which encloses the Leitrim River and Broadlough Lakes. It acts as a haven for wildlife of all kinds and provides a suitable area for coastal walks, either on the grasslands or on the stony beach.

Mr Forde’s concern about the future of the Murrough led him to organise the petition and in the space of two days he managed to collect over 200 signatures. The amount of support for his proposals came as a surprise to him, but has convinced him that parking facilities should be provided for traffic on land adjoining, but not on, the Murrough.

‘ The concentration of traffic on the outer Murrough is breaking it down very rapidly and I think that primarily we need to provide proper parking facilities to encourage people to keep their cars off the Murrough rather than to be banning the use of the outer Murrough,’ said Mr Forde.

He proposed thta the Urban Council should provide car parking facilities on the strip of land running between the Murrough and the roadway which was formerly the old CIE running line but is now in council ownership.

This idea has been well received generally, although there will still be some people who want to drive their cars onto the Murrough, as they have been allowed to do each summer in the past.

Mr Forde felt that some sort of accomodation could be reached for the elderly or handicapped to go on to the Murrough, but his main concern was to persuade the vast majority of motorists to keep their vehicles off the area which is showing clear signs of erosion and deterioration.

Mr Forde intends to submit his petition to the UDC within the next two weeks but in the meantime will concentrate on collecting more signatures.