Bespoke LED lights installed on Kent Bridge : footpath concerns to be raised
Light has finally been restored to Kent Bridge in Fermoy after an extended wait, with pedestrians particularly affected over an extended period when traversing what was a ‘dangerously dark’ bridge.
Cork County Council have installed the new LED ‘ Copenhagen City Lights’ and say these lights were selected for the area as they were considered the closest match to replace the original bespoke lights on the structure.
“The lighting output from these low energy LED lights was designed to the appropriate standard and will use less than 50% of the energy used by the 150W SON lights that they have replaced,” a spokesperson for Cork County Council said.
MUST NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN
Having raised the matter at previous council meetings, Cllr Noel McCarthy said that he is ‘delighted’ to see the area finally lit up.
“It got a fierce reaction from people saying that it’s great to see it done. It looks very, very well but we must never let it happen again. The lights were out there for nearly a year and a half in some parts, but it’s great to see it addressed,” Cllr McCarthy said.
Replacement lights for Kent Bridge had to be sourced overseas, causing significant delays to repairs and replacement of lighting across the busy thoroughfare.
When raised by Cllr McCarthy at a meeting of the Northern Divisional committee in November, it was outlined that delivery of the bespoke lanterns was awaited before works could be carried out and in February, the council ascribed the delay to the fact that the fittings are historic and must be maintained with this in mind.
Speaking this week, Cllr McCarthy said that it was his understanding that there are now spares in stock for when future issues occur, saying “it was a health and safety issue" which he was "glad to see" addressed.
STATE OF FOOTPATHS
Footpaths located on Kent Bridge have also been highlighted as a concern, with the councillor stating that he plans to raise the matter at a future council meeting.
Claiming that they need to be upgraded, Cllr McCarthy said he hopes to see these works carried out in line with the resurfacing of Patrick Street in the town. It is, however, expected that Patrick Street works will commence in the third quarter of this year.