Vital new Wicklow park and ride facility delayed as funding cut
The Wicklow PeopleThe start date for construction work on a new park and ride facility in Ashford is facing a further delay after funding for the project was cut.
In a response received by Wicklow Sinn Féin TD John Brady from the National Transport Authority (NTA), he was informed that due to insufficient funding, works will not commence as planned in 2026, and that construction may begin in 2027, at the earliest, subject to funding being made available.
The facility is due to be located to the west of M11 Junction 16 at Rossana Upper. The 210 planned parking spaces include 13 for mobility impaired users and 21 for charging of electric vehicles.
The project includes the construction of a new bus area that consists of two bus bays, two passenger shelters, and a designated turning circle. A new junction is proposed on the R772, incorporating a dedicated lane for right-turning traffic. The development also plans to incorporate paved areas for bike shelters and lockers, facilitating connections for active travel and ancillary works.
A flood risk assessment has been carried out and the site isn’t at risk of any substantial flooding. Seven submissions and observations were received during the public consultation period. Residents of Rosanna Close raised concerns over the Milltown Lane junction, however, it is felt the traffic impact at the junction will be negligible.
In 2023, the NTA stated the project would be delivered by 2025, but that timeline failed to materialise. The project then went through a lengthy and thorough public consultation process in 2024 and was formally approved by the full Wicklow County Council in March 2025.
At that meeting, councillors were told that the facility would be delivered and operational by Q4 of 2026.
Responding to the development, Deputy Brady said the delay is unacceptable.
“The N11 is at full capacity. Every single morning, thousands of commuters are trapped in worsening traffic jams, losing valuable time with their families and facing mounting frustration.
“The failure to invest properly in our public transport system in Wicklow has had direct and damaging consequences, chronic tailbacks on the N11, increasing car dependency, and families being effectively punished through punitive carbon taxes simply because they have no viable alternative.”
Most trips currently using the N11/M11 corridor during peak times are taken by single occupancy car commuters who occupy a high proportion of road space per person compared with the equivalent space occupied per person travelling on public transport.
The park and ride location was identified as an intervention point on the N11/M11 corridor for transferring a portion of these single-occupancy car trips to public transport.
Deputy Brady believes this delay will have significant consequences for the travelling public in Wicklow.
“Once again, Wicklow is being forgotten about. The Government must urgently address this to alleviate the daily hardships families are enduring, the rising costs they are forced to absorb, and the negative environmental impact of thousands of vehicles sitting in stationary traffic every single day.
“The people of Wicklow deserve better. This project must be properly funded and delivered as a matter of urgency. Continued delays are simply not good enough.” he added.