*Senior planner, Brian McCarthy and Cllr Tony O’Brien (FF). Photograph: Eamon Ward
KILLALOE’s sole elected member of Clare County Council has called on the local authority to defer its trial pedestrianisation of Killaloe Bridge.
On Monday, Cllr Tony O’Brien (FF) described the planned pedestrianisation of Killaloe Bridge has “quite a contentious issue locally”. He outlined, “quite a lot of people are for and against it”.
In a statement issued last month, Clare County Council said agreement was reached between elected members of the Killaloe Municipal District and Nenagh Municipal District along with officials from Clare and Tipperary County Councils to pedestrianise the existing Killaloe Bridge for a trial period.
No further detail on the dates for the trial period have been provided by either local authority.
These measures will be introduced “a number of weeks after” the opening of the new bridge, which will allow an interim period when both bridges will operate for vehicles. The timeline for its introduction will be announced closer to the opening of the new Shannon Bridge Crossing.
Public engagement regarding plans for the 18th Century Killaloe Bridge was held in Killaloe and Ballina in January and February. The trial, provided for under Section 38 of the Road Traffic Act 1994, aims to pilot a more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly route on the existing bridge between Killaloe and Ballina. The trial will also enable further detail and evidence of traffic flows and pedestrian movements between the towns to be gathered, and for the social, economic and tourism benefits to be measured.
Speaking at Monday’s meeting of the County Council, Cllr O’Brien was the only councillor to raise the matter. He said he had written to senior planner and Killaloe MD co-ordinator, Brian McCarthy outlining his views. “I’d ask that consideration be given to doing nothing until the end of September or October when the schools are back and when we’d have a true reflection of what the traffic will be like when the holiday season is over, this will give a proper assessment of what may be required”.
