A new plan for Bray town centre aims to reduce traffic congestion in the town by 40 per cent.
Bray Urban District Council says the proposed plan will make the town more comfortable for people using it by enhancing streetscapes, improving access to the town and reducing traffic on key streets.
To reduce traffic the council plans to provide more buses and bus lanes, increase off-street parking, improve safety for school children and give pedestrians priority in the town centre.
A public exhibition of the plan was unveiled today in Bray Town Hall and will be open for viewing until Saturday evening. Households and businesses have already been sent brochures giving details of the proposed plan.
One of the consulting engineers on the project, Mr Geoff Emerson says: "The plan can improve transport in Bray for everyone and significantly reduce traffic on key streets, through a combination of improving pedestrian and cyclist facilities, better public transport, encouraging commuters to use alternatives to the private car and providing direct access to off-street parking."
Town Clerk, Ms Catherine Halligan said: "The proposed plan will greatly enhance the streetscape of Bray and has the potential to reduce town centre traffic by 40 per cent."
Ms Halligan said: "We want to make to give pedestrians the priority, by widening the pavements and improving links between the Main Street and the Seafront."
She said: "Improving off-street carparks at Herbert Road will allow for 412 cars to be accommodated, most of them underground and that, in turn, will reduce the number of motorists driving around the town centre looking for on-street parking."
Thirty thousand people live in Bray or its environs. The Council says that over the past five years, over 1,500 houses have been built in the Bray area and further housing industrial and commercial developments are planned.
