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Tag Archives: Active Travel

Rural Clare left out of active travel revolution

North and West Clare councillors have called on the Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan (GP) to restore the Active Travel Scheme, and apply it equally to urban and rural areas. At the September meeting of the West Clare municipal district, Cathaoirleach, Councillor Ian Lynch (IND) put forward a motion to request that the Active Travel Scheme be applied equally to urban and rural areas. Another motion by Councillor Joe Garrihy (FG) called for the Minister to restore the same scheme. Cllr Lynch said “I think it’s important we put pressure on” adding North Clare and West Clare was not getting enough to manage successfully and would need to either get its fair share or get a different scheme set up.” Cllr Garrihy described Active Travel as “one of the most exciting schemes” ever established, and said it was “totally unacceptable” that it was not extended to North Clare, adding it needed to be restored “on the double” to make up …

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Ennis ‘crying out’ for bus and Active Travel infrastructure

ENNIS is crying out for a town bus and active travel infrastructure, says Clare Green Party Senator Ròisín Garvey. The Inagh-based politician is highlighting traffic congestion while calling on the County Council “to prioritise spending available for active travel funding on better, safer and more cycle lanes, footpaths and pedestrian crossings”. She said, “Even if all cars switched to electric overnight, we would still have the exact same traffic congestion issues. “The only way forward is to focus on reducing car dependency and prioritising active travel infrastructure and a town bus service. “I know from working with children and parents in all the Ennis schools over many years that the will is there to allow children walk and cycle to school, if the proper infrastructure is put in place. “Many of the roads leading into our beautiful town already have the width for such infrastructure and the Department of Transport are offering the funding. “Where there’s a will there’s a …

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Fears of ‘underspend’ of €5.7m Active Travel fund laid to rest

ANY view that Clare County Council has failed to utilise funding available to it under the Active Travel Scheme is not correct, the September meeting of Clare County Council heard. Councillor Paul Murphy put forward a motion asking that funding be sourced so that an Active Travel/Sustainable Travel Officer be appointed to support the work already being carried out. He also asked for an update on monies drawn down, and what stage various projects are at. A written reply to his motion from Council engineer Conor McDonagh stated, “Clare County Council has made a submission to the National Transport Authority (NTA) for additional resources including for an Active Travel Officer. We await a response from the NTA in this matter.” His reply also gave an update on numerous projects, including ones already complete at Kilrush, Miltown Malbay, Doolin, Quin, Kilmurry, Clonmoney, Boston, Ruan, Lahinch and Ennis. Councillor Shane Talty praised the impact of the scheme and said the Council have …

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Loose armadillos spark safety fears in Ennis

ARMADILLOS on the loose could result in a trip hazard on Ennis roads, an Ennis councillor has warned. However, these aren’t armadillos of an animal kind, instead they are safety measures which have been installed as part of the county capital’s network of cycle lanes. Councillor Mary Howard raised the need to clean bollards and armadillos along the route from Clon Road to College View at a recent meeting of the Ennis Municipal District. The council confirmed that there are a small number of armadillos and kerb bollards that need resetting or replacing between Eire Óg and the Kilrush Road, and this work is on the local authority crew’s work list. The councillor pointed out that over the last number of years the council has invested a large amount of money in Active Travel initiatives throughout the town. She requested that these initiatives be maintained “as your built environment leads your social environment.” She urged that cycle path markings need …

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Updates provided on west Clare Active Travel projects

ACTIVE Travel projects are transforming pedestrian and cyclist access in West Clare, a recent meeting of the municipal district has heard. However, some works cannot proceed until aspects of the design of the West Clare Greenway have been ironed out.  In response to a question from Councillor Shane Talty, members were updated on a range of projects across the area. Seeking the update, Councillor Talty said he regularly receives questions about “projects which have been announced but not seen”. “I fully understand that these are in the pipeline and the Active Travel project have massive visibility,” he said. “My only concern is that some of them are contingent on the Greenway, which is still a number of years away.” In a written response to the motion, Senior Executive Officer (SE), John O’Malley provided an update on range of works on paths, crossings and lighting installations.  Mr O’Malley’s response noted that Active Travel is a five-year programme of funding which began …

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Walking works set for the off in Ennis

WORKS aimed at connecting parts of Ennis with walking trails are set to begin next year the Ennis Municipal District has confirmed. Funding totalling €950,000 has been secured by the council under the government’s Active Travel grant scheme. The plans were detailed at a recent meeting of the Ennis Municipal District where Councillor Johnny Flynn had sought an update on the Connecting and Co-Creating Ennis project which was undertaken in 2020 by the Intelligence Unit (IU) of the School of Architecture at UL. The project was undertaken on the invitation of the Director of Service of the Ennis MD executive Carmel Kirby, in conjunction with the elected members. The councillor outlined that this project looked at Connecting, by re-joining parts of Ennis physically and socially and Co-Creating, getting citizens and visitors actively involved in the development of Ennis. Councillor Flynn described the document as “a very important piece of work”. The students and academics who worked on the project spent …

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Worry about Green Party ‘wobbly’ on crucial Clare road

AN EAST Clare councillor described himself as “a fraction nervous” over the Green transport minister’s commitment to progressing the Killaloe Bypass. After receiving a detailed update on the multimillion euro project at the May meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District, Councillor Pat Burke expressed the hope that Minister Eamon Ryan would not have “a wobbly”. The Fine Gael member noted the Council hopes to proceed to tender, subject to ministerial approval, around mid-June. The official response described that stage in the project as a “milestone” in a time-frame that could see major works get underway early next year, with a possible completion date of 2025. Commenting on a written update from Seán Lenihan, Senior Engineer at the Council’s Projects Management Office (PMO), Councillor Burke commended the works. “Excellent progress has been made,” he remarked. “I am a fraction nervous about a section of the response which says that ‘all going well’ the minister will give approval for tendering. “I would …

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Update sought on Clarecastle/Ballyalla link

THE recent announcement of €200,000 funding for a walking and cycling route linking Ennis to Clarecastle has been described as “very positive”, with more funding being sought by the local authority for future projects. Once complete it is intended that people will be able to access the route at Clareabbey, bringing them to the Quin Road. In light of the funding, Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy, at a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District, sought an update on efforts to create a greenway/blueway from Ballyalla to Clarecastle. Eamon O’Dea, Senior Executive Engineer, responded, “The Ennis Municipal District has submitted the “Connecting and Co-creating Ennis” project to the NTA for Active Travel Funding in 2021 with the intention of phasing the works over a number of years. “Some the elements of works identified in the project, will require the completion of the Mobility Plan for Ennis to show the justification for the proposed higher cost works. “The EarthRoute “Banks of the Fergus …

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