Calls have been made for Wicklow County Council and the Department of Transport to explore alternative funding options for a proposed Hollywood park-and-ride facility after Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) rejected an application for financial support.
The issue arose during a discussion at the latest monthly of Baltinglass district councillors.
Wicklow County Council has been investigating a suitable location for a park and ride or park and share facility in Hollywood that can be accessed from the regional road network.
Based on the location identified, a supplementary feasibility and options report, together with a request for funding approval, was submitted to TII on May 20, 2026. However, the application was refused.
The new layout at the N81 Hollywood Cross Rural Traffic Calming Road Safety Improvement Scheme. Photo: Michael Kelly
TII responded on June 11 stating that “without the relocation of the parking and bus stop” from Annalecky to Hollywood, “there is no safety improvement evident in the submitted report”.
TII found the proposal did not address the safety concerns previously identified and concluded that “safety funding is not applicable in this instance”.
Wicklow County Council’s chief executive Emer O’ Gorman notes in her latest report that while the removal of parking along the N81 at Annalecky would likely be supported, removing the bus stops altogether would be problematic as they continue to cater for local users.
The funding refusal prompted a strong response from councillors, with some urging the council to pursue other avenues to ensure the project proceeds.
Cllr Patsy Glennon said a bus stop at Annalecky needed to remain in place and argued that funding should be provided by Wicklow County Council if TII was unwilling to support the development.
He described the situation as a “white elephant” if the facility could not ultimately be used and said the matter should be pursued at senior executive level.
Cllr Glennon said it was “nonsense” that funding had not been secured given that suitable lands for the project had already been identified.
Cllr Avril Cronin also voiced support for the proposal, describing the Route 132 bus service as a lifeline for residents in the area.
However, Cllr Gerry O’Neill questioned whether the project represented good value for money given the current level of bus services serving the area.
Seeking details on the likely costs involved, he said he could not see the logic in spending significant sums on a park and ride facility without a more regular public transport service.
“For the sake of four buses a day, we shouldn’t be spending a fortune on the facility if there are no regular bus services,” he said.
Cllr O’Neill argued that the relevant transport companies should instead be contacted regarding service levels and asked why more frequent services were not being provided.
In a colourful assessment of the proposal, he remarked that the district was “only short of getting an airstrip”.
Responding, Cllr Glennon noted that Cllr O’Neill had not supported the safety improvements around the Hollywood area.
District engineer Pat Byrne told members that funding for the proposed park and ride facility should come from the Department of Transport.
While the debate revealed differing views on the merits of the proposal, there was broad agreement that the future of the project now hinges on securing an alternative funding source.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme