Kildare County Council urged to remove cycle lanes in Newbridge

The cycle lanes on the Main Street of Newbridge. Photograph credit: Aishling Conway

placeholder image — The cycle lanes on the Main Street of Newbridge. Photograph credit: Aishling Conway

The request was made by a councillor based in Kilcullen

A Kildare county councillor is seeking the removal of cycle lanes in Newbridge.

The sentiment was expressed by Fine Gael Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer at the latest latest Kildare-Newbridge Municipal District (MD) meeting, which took place on Wednesday, November 19 last.

The presence of the cycle lanes was criticised at the previous MD meeting by her party colleague, Cllr Peggy O'Dwyer.

At this meeting, she noted that the cycle lanes were initially implemented in 2021, and that while the lanes were meant to be a "temporary measure", they still remain in place in Newbridge.

She also told KCC that "nobody uses the cycle lanes in Newbridge".

And at the latest MD meeting, Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer has expressed a lack of faith in the project.

While in attendance at this meeting, she submitted the following question to KCC: "Can the council clarify in detail the reason the temporary cycle lanes in Newbridge have not been removed?"

In response, KCC echoed the temporary measures observation made by Cllr Peggy O'Dwyer in the report it submitted at the meeting.

Specifically, KCC told Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer: "When the cycle track on Main Street was installed, during the global pandemic, the scheme was considered a temporary measure pending the design and installation of a permanent scheme."

OUTLINE DESIGN

KCC also said that since then, it has progressed an outline design for a permanent scheme.

However, it claimed there has been "insufficient funding" provided from the National Transport Authority (NTA) Active Travel allocations to complete the cycle lanes project.

Doubling down on her stance, Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer told KCC: "It's clear that this project isn't going to be progressing any further."

Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer also suggested to KCC: "Can the area be reinstated to the way it was previously? Clearly nothing is going to happen here."

Replying to her comments, KCC official Mark McLoughlin told Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer: "At the end of the day, we know that the NTA cannot fund every project we have."