Writes Ciaran Dineen
Short-term works are set to take place along the Carrigaline – Crosshaven Greenway, while plans are also in the pipeline for significant re-development of the popular walkway.
The news came at the latest meeting of the Carrigaline Municipal District, where motions from Councillors Liam O’Connor (FG) and Marcia D’Alton (Ind) requested that works would take place to improve the Greenway’s accessibility.
The amenity is at the centre of thinking when the long-term future of Carrigaline and Crosshaven is discussed, with all public representatives in agreement that the Greenway offers a huge opportunity to attract visitors and tourists.
Cllr O’Connor requested that Cork County Council make use of a €360 million national pot that is available for cycling and pedestrian projects every year. He indicated that he would like to see the Greenway widened along a part of the walkway so as to maximise the amount of people that both cycle and walk.
There was general support for the motion, with Cllr Seamus McGrath (FF) noting that given the huge volume of people that use the amenity, increasing the width of the surface should be considered in any future plans for the Greenway. Cllr McGrath also queried where the progress was on procuring additional and new signage along the area, which had been requested earlier in the year.
Cllr Audrey Buckley (FF) observed that creating as much space as possible was crucial, particularly in advance of good weather months, as some cyclists are now using the Main Road from Carrigaline to Crosshaven as opposed to the segregated path.
Meanwhile, Cllr D’Alton raised an issue that has been made on a number of occasions at Municipal level with regards to the narrow path leading to the entrance of the ‘first carpark’, opposite Kilnagleary Business Park. Several concerns have been raised in relation to the acute space shared between pedestrians and cyclists over the Kilnagleary Bridge, which also records a fast flow of car traffic.
In response, Carrigaline MD Officer, Madeline Healy, explained that funding under the recent ‘Active Travel’ scheme would be available for use, however the larger pot of money mentioned in Cllr O’Connor’s motion was currently not applicable for works on the short-term agenda, which will include addressing the problem raised by Cllr D’Alton, along with wear and tear fixes to the path along the walkway.
She also noted that widening the Greenway would require substantial works, costing multiples of the budget that was allocated to the MD. There would also be a number of considerations for such a project, including the potentially controversial issue of the need to remove a large number of trees.
There was however no further update on the Glenbrook Greenway project. At the June meeting of the Carrigaline MD, Councillors expressed their frustrations over the progression of the project, which will see the linking of Glenbrook with the costal route, the progress of which was described by Cllr D’Alton as being at a “snail’s pace’.