The road through the Glen of the Downs in Co Wicklow should be included in the State's Village Protection Scheme, with traffic-calming measures and a 40-mile speed limit, according to an "11th-hour compromise" put forward by the Green Party and environmental activists.
In an alternative plan, they have also suggested the use of a rush-hour "contraflow" system to alleviate traffic build-up and avert the proposed road-widening. Similar to systems used abroad, this would involve dedicating two out of three lanes to city-bound traffic in morning peak-time, and reversing the process in the evening.
The proposals were presented at a meeting yesterday between protesters, Wicklow county councillors and technical experts, and will be heard at a full council meeting next Monday. However, after yesterday's meeting, independent TD Ms Mildred Fox said there was "nothing new" in the proposals, and she remained in favour of the road-widening scheme. Mr Dick Roche TD (Fianna Fail) also rejected the village protection plan, saying that "in practice there is no possibility of that going ahead". He said technical issues had been raised that required examination, "but it would be dishonest to suggest that the planned roadway is not going to happen".
Introducing the compromise proposals in Dublin earlier yesterday, the Green TD, Mr John Gormley, appealed to Wicklow County Council to step back from the "confrontational" position it had taken.
He described as "regrettable and simply not true" comments this week by Mr Roche that the Glen protesters were engaging in "wilful destruction of a beauty spot". He added: "The eco-warriors are the ones with common sense on their side. The proposal to widen the road is madness."
A spokesman for the protesters, Mr Gavin Harte, said their main proposal was that the 500metre section of road through the glen be treated as though it were passing through a village. This would mean traffic-calming measures and a 40 m.p.h. speed limit but would also allow motorists to enjoy the beauty of the area.
The secondary proposal - for a contraflow system - was less acceptable to the protesters but would be feasible "if you have to have high-speed traffic", he said. "It doesn't respect the place, or encourage motorists to enjoy it, but it is preferable to road-widening."
In either case, the protesters supported the proposed improvement of the road north of the glen, for safety reasons.
A Green Party councillor, Ms Deirdre De Burca, said the compromise proposals were an "olive branch". It was unfortunate the two sides in the dispute "haven't spoken for three years" before yesterday's meeting, she added, blaming the adversarial nature of the court proceedings.
