Rathcormac to Fermoy cycle link called for

As cycle/walking routes and cycle lanes continue to develop across Fermoy town, a new connection was sought recently, with the vision to see Rathcormac linked to Fermoy.

Local councillor William O’Leary tabled a motion at last week’s Fermoy Municipal District Meeting seeking the provision of a walking and cycling lane to be provided on the R639, linking the village to the town.

Pointing to proposed cycle lane connections between Fermoy and Mitchelstown that Cork County Council had previously sought funding for, Cllr O’Leary noted that it would be ‘a continuation of the route’.

“It would be a nice project if funding ever did become available to have Rathcormac linked to Fermoy by some sort of a cycle lane,” Cllr O’Leary said.

Responding to the motion, Senior Engineer with Cork County Council Brendan O’Gorman, stated that no such funding stream is currently available.

“No funding stream is currently available to support such a measure but the request will be kept on file,” Mr O’Gorman said.

In Fermoy town, works got underway last year to develop a local cycling loop on the R639, developing active travel infrastructure in the town via a ‘shared space’ footpath and cycle lane on the old Cork-Dublin road.

Suggestions of a ‘greyline’ between Fermoy and Mitchelstown have also been made on several occasions. During April of last year, the ‘greyline’ was included in a submission for funding to the National Transport Authority. However, funding for the project was refused.