Kilkenny councillors are pushing for safe crossing points on the Ring Road calling the route “an accident waiting to happen”.
The increasing development of buildings and businesses along the stretch means the number of people trying to cross it on foot or by bike is also on the rise.
Cllr John Coonan is the latest to table a motion seeking safe crossing points – Director of Services Tim Butler told the city municipal district meeting that the latest review’s already underway; “We’re not unusual in that the development boundary has extended past the initial ring road and it is something we have to be very conscious of, at present we have consultants appointed to examine the full extent of the ring road itself with particular focus on crossings and that’s what we’re looking at”.
He adds that the report on options is due back within the next three months; “At that stage then we will be seeking, I suppose, support of our funders TII, that’s Transport Infrastructure Ireland, or the National Transport Authority to fund specific schemes that, I suppose, will make it safer for people to cross and also fit well with the move towards active travel and walking and cycling”.
Added to that there are already plans for one stretch – about 24,000 vehicles a day travel between the Bennettsbridge and Dublin Road roundabouts, with an average speed of about 80km per hour.
The footpath too is almost as busy and being just over one metre in width, it’s under pressure.
Mr Butler says the county council’s teamed up with Transport Infrastructure Ireland for the Ossory Bridge Safety Improvement Scheme, noting; “They’ll be widening the footpath and providing a segregation between the cycle/footpath and the roadway itself so that’ll be a great improvement for people and a notable difference for the people who are using the ring road itself”.
However, progress comes with a price and in this case it will see the loss of the art work which depicts the history of Ossry – as it’s on a plinth that juts out and needs to be removed.
It’s been there for about 40 years and Director of Services Tim Butler says the aim will be to archive it and replace it; “We have a public art working group and they have looked at this as well, so lots of pieces of art are specific to the area that they’re in so it’s not possible to move them so we’ll have to look at replicating or telling that story at another location and doing a suitable piece of art I suppose for that as well so we will be looking at that in the future”.
