Action on broken canal lights demanded

Cllr Bill Collentine has urged the Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad to address the issue of broken lights along the canal line in Mullingar, warning that the lack of lighting makes the path unsafe for cyclists and pedestrians after dark.

In response, the district’s Transportation Department reported that recent repairs have restored four lights adjacent to the harbour.

However, two other areas, south of Green Bridge and north of the harbour, still require significant repairs, including cabling replacement and other civil works due to the ageing lighting infrastructure.

“The cost of this work is currently outside of our normal maintenance programme and efforts are being made to identify additional funding to repair same,” the written response concluded.

Cllr Collentine was disappointed at the response: “We’re lucky to have this facility, but people just can’t use it. They don’t feel safe during the dark at night. There’s too many lights out now,” he said.

The Fianna Fáil councillor asked if it were possible to have some sort of emergency repair strategy, and how long they would have to wait before the lights were repaired.

“It is not possible to leave the canal as it is for the winter, the way it is at the moment. I’m thinking we need some sort of a commitment that something will be done on the lights,” he said.

Support came from Cllr Emily Wallace, who said that if the canal path were unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists, it should actually be closed during dark hours: “It’s not good enough, and it’s not fair, and it’s not safe,” she said.

Cllr Mick Dollard remarked that hundreds of people use the canal path at night time because a lot of people are working during the day, and that’s the only opportunity they have.

District engineer Pat Kavanagh said he 100% supported the councillors’ views that the lights should be repaired and he undertook to pursue the matter.