How green is The Irish Times? Why does it side with nimbys so much? Can I put any question in a headline and not bother answering it? Comment & Analysis: Ok, so that headline is clearly being provocative. I should clarify its not for clicks, but to make a point. For the avoidance of doubt, this is an article about the Wicklow to Greystones Greenway, and how it was covered in an article published in Saturdays The Irish Times, which ran with the headline: Richard Nairn: How green are greenways?As seems to be the case more and more with some media outlets, the headline is dressed up to address the wider question, but it offers little substance on the issue, and much of what is included could be classified as misinformation or, at best, only part of the story.The answer to the wider question of how green are greenways isnt clear-cut althougt it is worth exploring. How they can be made greener and what project teams can do to avoid impacting the environment. But thats not what we get in the article.The sub-header gives us a better idea of what the article is about: The proposed Wicklow to Greystones Greenway route runs right along the edge of the ecologically sensitive coastal area known as the Murrough Wetlands.Nairn writes of the success of some greenways and outlines how the routes have spawned new local businesses like bike hire and repair shops, cafes and saunas, and that As asustainableform of transport that gets people out of their cars, they are certainly welcome.But as well as misinformation, the article contains a lot of exaggeration, a lack of context around some points, and little in the way of solutions from somebody who has expertise in the area of mitigation on much larger and more destructive projects.Before we go any further, the public consultation page for the project with the preferred route maps can be found at wicklowgreenways.ie, while this video from Wicklow County Council gives a reasonable overview of the greenway project:The segment of the route shown below is where it connects into Wicklow Town the draft route is the red lne and it shows just how far in line the route goes to avoid environmentally sensitive areas. It also shows how the route zigzags around the edges of fields to avoid impacting farms.But from wind turbines to active travel projects to greenways, its worth noting that the paper of record is all too often sympathetic to conservative voices when it comes to some projects, especially public transport and active travel ones, but not so much when it comes to roads.In that vein, its fitting that the article is authored by Richard Nairn. He was, when interviewed by the Wicklow People in 2021, called one of Irelands leading ecologists. Interestingly, in that article, he came across as unapologetically involved in the destruction of part of the Glen of the Downs for the widening of the N11 as it passed through the environmentally sensitive area.The Wicklow People article opens: First things first, as Richard Nairn makes clear. Please, he requests politely but firmly, there will be no mention of precisely where this interview was conducted. Suffice it to say that we are talking somewhere near Ashford, give or take a few kilometres.That means Nairns farm and landholding could be close to the greenway, or even on it. We dont know, and its not really the point that he shouldnt have a say if the greenway was right on his land. The point is that this is the kind of conflict of interest youd think might be mentioned in an Irish Times column? But as some readers might know, Michael McDowell has written against MetroLink repeatedly in The Irish Times and has never disclosed how close his home is to a tunnelled section of the line.At best misleadingNairn writes that greenways incorporate two-way cycle tracks and walkways that are a minimum of 4 metres in width, sometimes wider to accommodate crossing places for pedestrians. But that is just not true most greenways are shared paths, not separate cycle tracks and walkways, and most of these shared paths are also typically 3 metres.Some are narrower. Although there are usually green buffers on both sides of the shared paths, these are not part of the paths.Separated paths are more suitable in high-demand areas, especially where theres also going to be commuting cycling use of the greenway and also higher volumes of pedestrians walking near large towns or cities. But separated paths are rare on greenways and not planned as part of the rural sections of the Wicklow to Greystones route, as shown in the photomontage below.IMAGE: Photomontage of the Wicklow to Greystones Greenway. Nairn continues that: Add an embankment beneath the hard surface and the total footprint may be up to 10 metres wide, especially in low-lying or wet ground. This is equivalent to a small country road.A total footprint for a greenway of 10 metres wide seems very much not in keeping with how greenways have been built around Ireland to date. Such a width may be needed in exceptional circumstances and most likely for short sections.The idea that 10 metres is equivalent to a small country road is again misleading. New construction of a rural road would likely include lane widths of up to 3.25 to 3.5 metres wide with verges or turning lanes, the carriageway alone could be 10 metres as standard width, before we get to hard margins, verges, hedges, etc, or extra width required for embankments.Added to the above point, he said: However, like any form of new infrastructure in the countryside, these greenways need to avoid sensitive areas. But he did so without much of a clear mention that the project team for the greenway seemed to have attempted to do so.Nairn said:On the east coast, the Wicklow to Greystones Greenway is being proposed jointly by TII andWicklow County Council. After initially proposing three wide corridors, the emerging preferred route is the one that largely follows the inland boundary of two European protected areas (SAC and SPA), crosses about a dozen farms and a number of rivers, including the Vartry. The proposed route runs right along the edge of the internationally important coastal area known as the Murrough Wetlands, which is separated from the sea by the Dublin to Wexford railway.But runs right along the edge is a strange way of saying runs mostly or totally outside of it.Nairn said that the main impacts of this scheme on birds are likely to be loss of habitat in wet grassland and marsh, interference with water flow to the wetlands due to culverting of streams and drains, disturbance during construction and due to people and dogs when it is in operation.So, given his expertise in outlining how far more impactful road projects can be built while reducing or eliminating different harms, does Nairn suggest anything for the greenway? No, he says, People are asking: How green is this greenway? and then quotes a local farmer with the talking points which will sound familiar to anybody whos listened to farmers against many greenways around the country.I mean, how can anybody take claims that therell be huge issues around public safety and biosecuritywhen greenways as well as public roads and walking routes have been successfully operated around or even through farms?Parkways, a term used mainly in the US, are not parks; they are roads through parks. Greenways are not as impactful as parkways or any roads, but they are routes. Nothing can be built with zero impacts; the goal needs to be to minimise the impact. Greenways are partly about addressing the lack of public access and safe routes for people outside cars in rural areas across the country. We have to keep that in mind when were talking about farmers and other landowners who are privileged to own part of the countryside in a country with so little non-road access to rural areas and no right to roam. Some farmers have taken a different approach by volunteering their land for such projects or, with others, not objecting to the use of CPOs or coming forward to make agreements. This has some impact on farmers but enables their community and visitors to access the countryside without fear of being run over by a car, without those people impeding on active farms. We need more of that. More people who are willing to step up and ask: What can I do for my community and my country?
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