FINE Gael councillor Stephen Keary said he is perplexed by Limerick Council’s proposed spending on active travel projects for 2026, hitting out at what he deemed an imbalance between the city and county.
Limerick Council has been allocated €18.5million for the design, planning, and construction of walking, wheeling, and cycling infrastructure in 2026 by the National Transport Authority (NTA).
Speaking at the recent full meeting of the local authority, Cllr Keary took issue with an allocation of 13 per cent of total active travel funding to the county, while 87 per cent has been allocated for the city.
“Is that fair?” he asked the Council executive.
“It seems to be a waste of time,” he suggested, “asking for extra money for the county. There are several projects out the county that need funding and they are being ignored year after year.”
“I even saw a project that was carried out in Athea on the Moyvane Road, where the Active Travel people laid a footpath and left the telegraph poles sticking up in the middle of the footpath. You talk about oversight, there was no oversight there. You need to go back to the drawing board and check out some of the jobs that ye have funded.”
Cllr Keary said that in the city “cycle lanes have turned green for the want of use”.
“There’s no one cycling there. Will ye actually try and give a small bit of balance to us out in the county. I know we’re poor, but we need a bit of help out here, at least another five or six million would go a long way. You’re giving us €750,000 per municipal district. It’s only pittance as any small project is going to cost up to €400,000,” he said.
Fianna Fail councilor Bridie Collins seconded the motion, saying she was of the view that active travel can connect the centres of towns and villages where there is essential services, which is vital for rural communities.
“There is several estates and houses at the extremities of villages within the 50 or 60km zone that are not serviced with a footpath. These are basic services that we should have within every town and village and it is a disgrace,” Cllr Collins opined.
Cllr John O’Donoghue (IND) deemed the balance between funding as “ludicrous”.
In response, the Council’s Director of Transport, Patricia Liddy, deemed the NTA’s funding for various active travel projects as testament to its commitment to creating a balanced transport network to serve both urban and rural areas.
– Local Democracy Reporting Scheme