Costings for 150 metre Kingscourt footpath needed

Cavan County Council is committed to examining what it might cost to construct an estimated 150 metre footpath to connect the Cluain Dara housing estate to Kingscourt Town.

However, elected representatives present at the Bailieborough-Cootehill Municipal District meeting were told that resources were on a shoe-string budget effectively.

“That's the stark reality dealing with roads funding at the minute,” said Director of Services Paddy Connaughton, after Fianna Fáil's Clifford Kelly had raised the need for both a footpath and additional lighting on the Bailieborough Road out of Kingscourt town.

He lamented to his fellow councillors and council executive members that he had raised the matter before, but to no avail.

“A lot of people are saying I've been doing nothing about it,” said Cllr Kelly, who noted that the section requiring attention has two faded lines denoting a pathway by the side of what is a busy road. He further stated that the area is often used by trucks pulling in, with an alleged rise in anti-social behaviour too.

“It's a dangerous situation,” said Cllr Kelly of the present circumstances.

Senior Area Engineer for the district, Clinton Mulligan, initially responded to Cllr Kelly's plight.

He said the council in 2024 had been awarded €3 million under the Active Travel Scheme, a sum “significantly down” on previous years. He also accepted that the council had in recent months “taken in charge” the Cluain Dara estate, so the proposition being put forward by Cllr Kelly did have “merit”.

Mr Mulligan suggested, however, that such a scheme of works might not be appropriate under Active Travel, but instead be better suited to an application made to the National Transport Authority. As such, the proposal put forward was to make an application for funding, for both footpath and lighting, for 2026.

“There is not sufficient money in our own resources,” he said on the scope of getting the works done sooner and paid for from the council's own coffers.

“That's not acceptable at all,” fumed Cllr Kelly, who reiterated how, given that there has been no progress made to date, he has been accused of “doing nothing” to tackle the problem.

“It's going on for too long.”

A suggestion by him to transfer money already awarded for works on Dun a Rí lane was dismissed.

Mr Connaughton said that the council do take the situation “seriously”.

He then stated that concerns over people “jumping out” and scaring passers-by could be a matter for An Garda Síochána to deal with.

“We can look at the costing,” assured Mr Connaughton.

Dangerous junction

Another issue in Kingscourt town, that of the junction leading from St Mary's Road to Kells Road, was also raised, again by Cllr Kelly.

He said there had been “two small accidents” in the vicinity in recent months, one of which saw a car hit the wall of his own mother's former homeplace.

Cars approaching the junction were “coming very fast” said Cllr Kelly, who called for the installation of a speed ramp nearby.

“It would not be a huge expense,” he said of a road, which experiences a “huge amount of traffic” on a daily basis.

Mr Mulligan highlighted the Low Costs Safety Scheme and how it had sought a list of regional recommendations.

In the meantime, he said new zebra crossings will be installed near to SuperValu, and concluded by saying that if people are breaking the speed limit in the areas then the problem might best served by the intervention of gardaí.

“I hope something can be done sooner rather than later,” responded Cllr Kelly.