Waterford Council are failing to sell Active Travel to the public
"Active travel hasn’t had an easy run” Waterford councillor, John O’Leary said this week.
“In Kilmacthomas, there’s been no acceptance from the community. Farronshoneen in Waterford city, that was met with absolute opposition too and that system is not working for the people.
"In Tramore, there’s also massive opposition, they see this as a massive inconvenience to the people. Also at John’s Hill, that too has been met with opposition.”
Active Travel schemes across the city and country have been implemented in an attempt promote walking and cycling and to encourage a shift away from private car use.
However, many of the Active Travel projects have received considerable backlash from the public, the latest of which is in Newtown, Kilmacthomas.
The proposed scheme in Newtown consists of numerous traffic calming measures and the addition of a new footpath.
Consultations have been held between the Council and the public regarding the project and locals living in the area have largely rejected the proposed plans, particularly the construction of the footpath.
“Everything was more or less accepted except the footpath. The footpath is the major obstacle there” Cllr O’Leary said at last week’s Comeragh district meeting, where draft plans for the scheme in Newtown were presented to councillors.
Cllr O'Leary added: “I won’t be supporting this today, but I would like to see the door left open, to make Newtown and every village and town in the county as safe as we can.”
Meanwhile, Cllr Catherine Burke said she is also not supporting the current set of plans for Newtown.
She said: “This has been a difficult one, it’s been a long road.
“The message with residents is clear; while they support the objective of improving road safety and reducing speed, they do not believe the amended proposal is the right solution, particularly the footpath.
“I believe the lack of consultation around the Kilmacthomas scheme has created a lack of trust that we must all work together to rebuild. We all want safer roads, but we must listen to the people listening in the area."
Cllr Seanie Power added: “We had some very good meetings, but one thing I always believe is to listen to the knowledge of the local people who are travelling the road every day. A lot of people want safety, but they are not happy with this proposal. We failed to sell it to them."
Mr. Gabriel Hynes, Roads Director with Waterford Council, was adamant during the Comeragh district meeting last week that Active Travel plans have to be implemented.
“The last ten years in Waterford we’ve had over fifty deaths and over 2,000 serious injuries. That’s devastating for families, communities and friends.
“While I understand there are significant objections, we as an Executive have to deliver schemes in accordance with national standards. We have to deliver schemes to prioritise the pedestrian over the vehicle.
"The way you reduce speed is by narrowing the carriageway. Is it an inconvenience? Yes. Who is it an inconvenience for? The driver. He can’t get from A to B as fast as he wants anymore, he has to slow down.
“The public don’t appear to be accepting this at present. But if we want to improve safety, make our towns and villages more liveable, we have to give priority to people who are walking, not the vehicle."
(Funded by the Local Democracy Scheme)
