Public lighting and footpath woes at the Metro meeting
One of many examples of poor footpaths in the city.
The state of Waterford City's lighting and footpaths are a perennial problem for the Metropolitan Council.
At the recent September meeting of the Council, multiple councillors appealed for reports for their wards.
Cllr Seamus Ryan (Labour) asked: "Can we have a report on the public lighting in the People's Park, it seems to be going on a long time, a couple of years at this stage. Can we have an up-to-date report on where it's at?"
Cllr Ryan went on to request an audit of footpaths within city estates. He said: "There are some serious issues regarding health and safety with those footpaths."
Senior Executive Dawn Wallace confirmed that a report on public lighting would be ready for the October sitting of the Council.
Senior Engineer Roger Noonan told Cllr Ryan on the issue of footpaths: "It is a budgetary matter. We have a limited budget and we try to deliver the best value for money."
He went on to add: "By all means we can produce a report, but I would put in the caveats that the report will just say that the footpaths all throughout the city are all in very, very poor condition."
Cllr Donal Barry pushed for improving footpaths and lighting in the Ballybeg area, and said that poor footpaths in the area are forcing people on mobility scooters to use the road.
Cllr Declan Barry asked for better visibility around University Hospital Waterford (UHW), saying: "In darkness, it's not very well lit at all, there are trees there, the evenings are getting shorter and there's a lot of footfall through that area. I'd like to see something done about the lighting there before an accident happens."
Mr Noonan stated that the team would take a look at the footpaths in the area.
He added: "There are significant issues with the lighting infrastructure there, as you well know."
He also stated that there would be some tree-cutting done in regards to UHW. Cllr Jason Murphy (Fianna Fáil) showed support for Cllr Barry's issue around public lighting and called for engagement with the residents in the area.
