You have until tomorrow to lodge views on the Dublin Road Pedestrian and Cycle Scheme.
Carlow County Council is bidding to carry out works on the R-888 in Carlow Town to update the stretch for those who wish to walk or use their bikes.
The proposed infrastructure and traffic calming measures include clearance of the existing road verge and a number of trees, which will be replaced.
It also sees the construction of 400m of raised cycle lanes, 495m of two-way cycle tracks and 50m of combined footpath and cycle path with an upgrading of 1,300m of footpaths.
Added to that there’ll be five controlled pedestrian/toucan crossings, the tightening of the junction with Green Lane (R-448) and the provision of traffic signals on the approach to the railway bridge to establish a single lane shuttle traffic system across the railway bridge.
Plans can be viewed until 4:30pm tomorrow at County Buildings on the Athy Road in Carlow or online at consult.carlow.ie – you can submit your observations there, by email to [email protected] or in writing to the Director Of Services, Transport Department, Carlow County Council, County Buildings, Athy Road, Carlow clearly marked “Dublin Road Pedestrian & Cycle Scheme Section 38”, but it must be in by midnight Friday.
Cllr Fergal Browne however is not happy, telling KCLR News; “I was gobsmacked when we got a presentation at our second-last municipal meeting because it meant making single-lane at the railway bridge there near St Lasarian’s and also would have meant a traffic signal system and what’s even more bizarre was the impact it’ll have on St Mary’s Cemetery which is our main cemetery in Carlow town where parking was still going to be allowed even though they’re putting in cycle lanes again so you’re going to have an a la carte cycle lane system which is bizarre in my view”.
He adds; “I think the residents in Oak Lawn should be very concerned, I think people going to GAA matches should be very concerned and I think anyone going to funerals in Carlow should also be very concerned so I’ve made a submission, I’m completely opposed to it, I think in the new council we’ll have to have greater oversight for active travel because the sums of money involved in these projects are absolutely huge and up to now we have not been involved in the process and certainly going forward I’ll be urging my council colleagues to take a far more active part in it and I’ll be speaking to the Chief Executive of Carlow County Council in that regard as well”.
Cllr Browne also notes “There has to be greater consultation on other projects that could be, in my view, way more required than what they’re planning around the town and certainly we have to improve the consultation because I say, not just myself, but my other council colleagues were gobsmacked at the second-last municipal meeting when we heard the projects being proposed and the lack of oversight really in the projects afterwards because it doesn’t come back to the councillors at all, it comes back to the Director of Services, and that really alarms me”.
