Clare County Council exploring the possibility of a new footpath near National School
An Engineer confirmed that he has been liaising with the owner of a nearby creche, who has offered to make land available for this
Clare County Council have confirmed that they are looking into the possibility of establishing a new footpath near Scoil Mhichíl in Cahermurphy after safety issues were raised.
The news comes as a result of a West Clare Municipal District (MD) meeting where Independent Councillor, Dinny Gould, put forward a notice of motion regarding an enhancement of safety measures. These include a footpath across the road from the school, as well as a review of the current light fixtures they have in place.
Alan Kennelly, Senior Executive Engineer, West Clare MD, noted that since February the speed limit on the road near the premises has been reduced from 80km to 60km. "This reduction should help improve road safety," he said.
Going on, the Engineer confirmed that he has been liaising with the owner of a nearby creche, who has offered to make land available for a public footpath, but this is not without it's issues.
Mr Kennelly said, "Is it appropriate to construct a footpath on the side of the road in a rural area? It would be a very discordant feature for drivers. Perhaps it may be safer for all road users if the footpath were constructed on private property.
"Funding for the approximately 80 linear metres of footpath required has not been made available to date. The path could be shorter if it were constructed on private property," he concluded.
The Executive Engineer added that the Department of Education or Active Travel 'Safe Routes to School' scheme might be approached for funding and has ensured the public that the "MD will explore opportunities to secure funding to deliver this project."