Ardmore Road big winner in €4m fund for active travel
More than €2.5m from an overall allocation of €4m announced for Westmeath yesterday, is to be spent on works at the Ardmore Road and Saunders Bridge, and the remainder is going on other walking and cycling infrastructure projects around the county.
At lunchtime Monday, the Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan, TD, announced that the National Transport Authority (NTA) was allocating a total of €289m to Ireland’s local authorities for walking and cycling infrastructure for 2022.
The Ardmore Road allocation amounts to €1.77m, while the allocation for Saunders Bridge comes to €770,000, and other projects approved that will link in to the Ardmore Road improvements are the Marlinstown Roundabout to Royal Canal Pedestrian and Cycling Improvements, which have been allocated €100,000; and improvement of the National Science Park Junction, for which €30,000 has been announced, as well as works to the Dublin Road footpath and cycleway, for which there is an allocation of €40,000.
Westmeath’s share is to cover the cost of 20 different projects, and also includes €240,000 to cover the cost of staff for the Westmeath County Council Active Travel Office.
The overall allocation includes €150,000 for a Mullingar Transportation Study; €110,000 for a shared footpath and cycle path in Delvin; €30,000 for improvements for the Sundays Well Road – Lynn Road / Auburn Road – Millmount Junctions; €20,000 for a footpath and cycleway at Harbour Street and €25,000 for “pedestrian interventions” at Lower Mount Street.
Minister Ryan said he wanted to see accelerated delivery of sustainable transport modes as the country comes out of the majority of Covid restrictions: “It is vital,” he said, “that we do not allow a return to gridlock as we come out of the pandemic. We need to use the switch to remote working as an opportunity to reallocate road space to create a safer and more efficient transport system.”
Welcomes for the allocations came from both of Westmeath’s ministers, Peter Burke and Robert Troy.
“It’s a very substantial investment by government in active travel and making sure we are making it easier and more attractive for people to walk and cycle and in improving safety for our road users,” said Minister Troy, while Minister Burke said it was “really positive news” for Mullingar, Athlone and surrounding areas.
“I particularly welcome the funding for Saunders Bridge of €770,000 and the Ardmore Road of €1.77 million, which will mean pedestrians, cyclists and the many families with young children and buggies are kept safer on what is a very busy road. This investment is huge and marks a step change in the funding we provide for such works,” said Minister Burke.
Minister Troy was also happy with the attention to that area: “It is particularly pleasing to see the huge investment in Ardmore Road, Saunders Bridge – a long-running issue and bone of contention for residents on the road and other people who use it and the council has committed to improve it.”
Minister Troy went on to say Westmeath County Council deserved compliments for the quality of the applications it had submitted: “The department doesn’t cherry-pick these schemes: these schemes are a result of the work that has been done by the local authority making the applications, and it is important that we recognise that,” he said.
Minister Burke noted too that the announcement included funding for both rural and urban areas, which, he said, will mean more children than ever will have a viable option to walk or cycle to school: “In in remote locations in the county, this may still not be possible, but the council now have significant money to spend in the areas that are viable to walk or cycle in. We have seen more and more people out walking, cycling and running during Covid and taking exercise for our mental and physical health, and this funding will also support these activities.”
He noted too that the Safe Routes to school project is also a beneficiary of this funding, and 170 schools nationwide are now involved.