Cycling Alliance welcomes pledge to link schools

DUNDALK Cycling Alliance have welcomed the commitment by Chief Executive Joan Martin to look at plans to develop a safe cycleway linking schools and the railway station to the town centre.

While the group’s call for a segregated cycle lane on one side of Clanbrassil St from the Courthouse to Yorke Street and removing a further 12 parking spaces, were not incorporated in the plan, former Green party councillor Ollan Herr says they are pleased with the response of the Chief Executive.

‘In response to widespread calls for safe traffic separated cycle ways to schools, the Chief Executive has made very generous commitments,’ he noted. ‘Although she has refused our proposal for a cycle way on Clanbrassil Street she has promised instead that her engineers will prepare plans for the continuation of a safe cycleway from Stapleton Place, via Mc Entee Avenue, past St Malachy’s Schools to eventually to arrive in the town centre. In addition she has made an undertaking to the councillors to connect the Railway Station to the town centre also.’

‘ This is wonderful news,’ said Ollan. ‘ The Dundalk Cycling Alliance is very happy and pleased with this commitment by the Executive.’

He said that no money had been spent in the recent past for developing cycling or walking and this new commitment was most welcome.

‘It’s time that we in County Louth got serious about encouraging and facilitating our low carbon transport system. The increasing frequency and severity of storms and floods due to Climate Change is a serious threat to mankind.

‘We in Dundalk must play our own part to avoid this growing threat. By providing these safe traffic-protected cycle way facilities to all of our local schools; we will also begin to offer much safer options to parents who are justifiably nervous about allowing their children to cycle on busy roads. By installing Dutch standard cycleways we are more likely to reverse the growing traffic congestion that happens in Dundalk during the school term.

‘We have already missed two previous EU Intereg funding opportunities for sustainable transport,’ he continued. ‘By having spade-ready plans that are ready to go for these cycle way routes and by more actively consulting with the residents and schools at a much earlier stage than has happened in the past, we will be better able to avail of any new funding opportunities that arises in future.’