OPINION: 'Tipperary Town is one of the worst places in all of Ireland to drive through'

This is a fact, Tipperary Town is one of the worst places in all of Ireland to drive through. It has to be the source of all road rage in the country; it’s that bad!

Travelling to Cashel Community School’s Harty Cup semi-final in Kilmallock last Saturday required going through Tipperary Town and it was a nightmare!

It was a disaster!

A lovely car journey from Cashel quickly turned the whole car tense as we ebbed through the town.

Now I mean, we moved so slowly between the traffic lights changing it was beyond comprehension.

It was worse than anything I’d experienced over the years I lived in Dublin City Centre and that’s saying something.

One question came to my mind in the back of the car, how the hell did it get this bad? We have new road plans, bypass plans, schemes and policies like Town Centre First coming out our ears but how was it let get this bad and stay this bad for so long?

It’s a disgrace.

The snail’s pace at which issues are solved in this country and the bureaucracy is infuriating. Everything is reactive and projects get done over decades - or in some cases, not at all.

And here’s the thing, I can remember going for swimming lessons with Boherlahan National School back in the late 1990s in the Canon Hayes Recreational Centre and the traffic was bad in Tipperary Town back then.

Martin Quinn writing this week on page 17 of this week's Nationalist talks about putting “Tipperary Town centre first...”

It’s a riveting read and is worth your time.

In February last the Government launched a Town Centre First policy.

Yes, another policy.

The key aspects of this policy are: Major new strategy to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into town centres; Network of Town Regeneration Officers to drive future development; Unprecedented investment to make our towns better places to live, work and raise a family; Suite of supports and tools to help businesses and local communities deliver on their unique vision for their area and New Policy to deliver on the objectives of “Housing for All” and “Our Rural Future”.

The policy is underpinned by a multi-billion euro investment spread across major Government schemes such as the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF), the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF), Croí Conaithe (Towns) Fund and the Town and Village Renewal Scheme.

The policy also contains a range of actions designed to achieve key objectives such as social and economic revival in towns, the provision of housing, as well as addressing challenges like vacancy and derelict buildings.

It will all be lovely, I’m sure, in 30 years’ time.

But best of luck to anyone going through the town today or tomorrow. It’ll drive you to insanity.