100 km Laois road not safe enough for footpath

Grants to encourage people to walk and cycle are unlikely to be used to build a footpath between Mountrath and Castletown.

That’s what Cllr James Kelly, Independent was told recently, when not for the first time he called for the walk link to be created.

He tabled a motion calling on Laois County Council to secure the necessary funding to provide the footpath as the Government has committed 10% of the total capital budget for travel towards pedestrian infrastructure.

He said the National Transport Authority (NTA) announced €290 million in funding for sustainable transport projects in our towns and villages including major walkway improvements and Active Travel measures.

Diarmuid Donohoe is the Senior Executive Engineer in the council’s Active Travel unit which co-ordinates applications to the scheme. He had bad news for Cllr Kelly.

“NTA Active Travel funding is provided for schemes to be delivered in mainly urban environments where lower speed limits exit. The R445 between Mountrath and Castletown is a 100km/h road and is unlikely to receive NTA funding approval on the grounds of pedestrian safety,” said the road.

Cllr Kelly said he was disappointed with the news and did not accept the rationale.

“I know lots of footpaths that are on 100km roads so I don’t think that should be an obstruction to a footpath...The Active Travel funding aims to make things easer and safer and we all want people walking,” he said.

Cllr Kelly also said there the communities are separated by just 1.3 kms. He said there are many reasons to justify the footpath and pledged to continue to push the proposal.

Cllr John King, Fine Gael, backed the initiative.

The NTA says Active Travel involves travelling with a purpose, using your own energy via sustainable means. It includes walking, wheeling, and cycling or the use of self-powered, non-motorised scooters as part of a purposeful journey. For example, walking to school and cycling to work are both considered forms of Active Travel.

The NTA says it has a dedicated Active Travel team which works in collaboration with Local Authorities across the country on the delivery of hundreds of Active Travel projects. This includes the development of segregated cycle lanes and widened footpaths, new walking and cycling bridges, and new pedestrian crossings.

The issue was raised at a meeting of the Borris-in-Ossory Municipal District.