Support for pedestrian footbridge
A recent public meeting in the Teeling Centre, Collooney heard overwhelming support for the proposal of a pedestrian footbridge for the village at the N4 roundabout.
The meeting was organised jointly by local Sinn Féin Cllr Thomas Healy and John Walsh. Speaking at the monthly meeting of Sligo County Council, Cllr Healy said: “This was a massive turnout for Collooney with over 70 people in attendance. This included representatives from Owenmore Gaels GAA club, Tidy Towns, Collooney Development Committee, the Handball Alley, the Parents’ Association and the Active Retirement Group.
“There were many young families in attendance and everyone fully endorsed my motion to Sligo County Council calling on the Council to write to Transport Infrastructure Ireland in relation to providing a footbridge over the N4 to connect the commercial and residential sides of the village.”
He continued: “People here were horrified by the potential tragedy of the accident with the lorry here recently and want to ensure a safe crossing for young and old.”
The meeting had unanimous support for the campaign and a committee has been formed to lobby at the Minister, T.I.I. and Sligo County Council. “The imminent work to upgrade the Collooney to Castlebaldwin section of the N4 is very welcome but it will result in increased hazards for pedestrians. This needs to be recognised nationally as a vital piece of that infrastructure now while the work is commencing. I want to thank all who attended and supported this campaign including Deputy Eamon Scanlon and Deputy Martin Kenny, we received apologies and messages of support from Deputies Tony McLoughlin and Marc MacSharry also. Following the support of Sligo County Council for my motion today we will lobby relevant bodies and will hold a rally to highlight the community’s concerns.”