*Cllr Pat Hayes (FF). Photograph: Ruth Griffin.
AN EAST CLARE representative has accused a Tipperary councillor of spreading “misinformation” about the trial pedestrianisation of the bridge linking Killaloe and Ballina.
Following a meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District and Nenagh Municipal District last Wednesday, a trial pedestrianisation period of July 28th to October 15th was confirmed for the Killaloe to Ballina bridge.
In a statement following the meeting, Ballina based Cllr Phyll Bugler (FG) said, “both Cllr Tony O’Brien and myself opposed this pedestrianisation on the grounds that this pedestrianisation is unnecessary due to the major drop in traffic flows since new bridge has opened”.
According to Cllr Bugler who was first elected to Tipperary County Council in 2004, traffic flows on the old bridge have dropped from 8,500 to 4,500.
She claimed the decision to bring in pedestrianisation was “an executive decision of Clare CoCo (County Council). This pedestrianisation will affect businesses and tourism as we need as many access routes as possible into our twin towns”.
Killaloe and Ballina’s population which she estimated to be in the region of 5,000 “is too low to sustain a pedestrian crossing only on old bridge. We certainly need a weight restriction on old bridge”. She informed constituents she was “very opposed to this pedestrianisation”.
Speaking at the AGM of the Killaloe Municipal District in his final address as Cathaoirleach, Cllr Pat Hayes (FF) took aim at the comments of Cllr Bugler. “We had a meeting with our neighbours in Newport and Ballina, they were online and we agreed a trial closure for the bridge from the end of July to mid-October, subject to some media and social media posts I want clarity on this, it was jointly agreed by members of both Executives under advisement from the Department of Transport as well that we do this trial period, it was a previous agreement from both sides, it wasn’t just Clare County Council it was the agreement of both Executives. There was dissenting views but the general agreement was to go with the trial period”.
He continued, “It was a joint decision to be clear, I need clarity on that, misinformation can cause a lot of challenges to us all when it goes out there, there’s a perception out there no more than the opening of the new bridge which is totally untrue”.
When he concluded his remarks, Cllr Hayes commented, “I’ve too much talking done” to which Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF) quipped “what is new” and he then suggested in their setting of the Inis Cealtra visitor centre “there’s an echo across the lake”. Hayes replied, “I hope Phyll Bugler is listening, let’s bring a boat across. We’ll be like Brian Boru and have an invasion of Tipperary”.
