Council explains use of €50k intended for B’boro footpath
FUNDING of €50,000, which was to be used by Cavan County Council to repair a hazardous footpath in Bailieborough as part of an Active Travel project, was spent elsewhere in the county.
In a statement, the council said the money from central government was never intended for footpath repairs but rather specifically for the development of Active Travel measures.
The stretch of footpath outside the Nomad Café on the Shercock Road was placed on the agenda for this month’s meeting of the Bailieborough-Cootehill MD by two councillors.
Cllr Niall Smith (FF) asked to the "timeline" for commencement of the approved footpath and adjacent road surface; Cllr Adrian Rogers (Aontú) asked for an update on the new footpath approved through Active Travel. Cllr Rogers reminded the meeting that, in 2023, a woman tripped on the footpath and broke her arm.
“The uneven surface is a trip hazard for people going in and out of the café at the moment,” Cllr Smith told the Celt, “There is no footpath, in fact.”
He added: “€50,000 was granted towards it and plans were to be drawn up and passed to Active Travel and Cavan County Council.”
Cllr Rogers said the strip with which he is most concerned features a raised plinth on which petrol pumps once sat.
He also pointed to a sunken manhole and potholes on the Shercock Road that need attention.
Following enquiries by the Celt, Cavan County Council explained how the funding, earmarked for Active Travel Schemes, was diverted from Adelaide Road until ‘significant development’ of the site is completed.
“Cavan County Council received a provisional allocation of €50,000 to explore the development of an Active Travel Scheme on Adelaide Road,” the Council’s statement reads.
“The Council's Active Travel team carried out the initial appraisal of the scheme during which it became evident that the scope and complexity of the project would require significant development in terms of planning and design to comply with National Transport Authority (NTA) requirements.
“Consequently,” the statement continues, “the funding of €50,000 was utilised on other active travel projects within the county in 2023.
“This funding is not intended for use in footpath repairs as it is specifically for the development of active travel schemes. The project is currently at detailed design stage, with an application for funding in 2027 to be submitted to the NTA later in the year.”
Local authorities implement Active Travel Programmes to design protected cycling lanes, widen footpaths, and implement safety measures to encourage the public to walk, cycle, or wheel for daily errands.Active travel programmes in Ireland are centrally funded by the Department of Transport and managed by the National Transport Authority (NTA) and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). The physical construction and delivery of walking, cycling, and public realm projects are then handled locally by individual county councils.
* This article was published with support from the Local Democracy Scheme.