€870,000 funding boost for two local cycle routes

Some €870,000 funding has been granted by the Department of Transport for the development of cycle lanes between Athlone and Ballinasloe and Moate and Tullamore, with the possibility of connecting both routes by a disused rail line at some point in the future. Roscommon County Council has been granted €470,000 to develop a 20km dedicated cycle lane along the former N6 from Athlone to Ballinasloe, while Offaly County Council has been granted €400,000 to develop a cycle lane measuring 16.8km along the R420 (former N80 national road) from Tullamore to Moate. There is a potential in the future to link both cycle routes through the disused Mullingar rail line, from Athlone to Moate. The grants are part of a €7m investment programme for cycle routes announced by the Department of Transport last week. Public Transport Minister Alan Kelly announced funding for 16 cycling projects last week, which are to be completed over the next two years and amount to an additional 334km of cycleway as part of the National Cycle Network. The funding has been welcomed locally and it is hoped the cycle routes could help to boost the tourism industry. Independent TD Denis Naughten welcomed the funding for the Athlone to Ballinasloe cycle route and said: "Activity holidays are growing in popularity as is the number of people who are getting active and this cycle way is an ideal way to capitalise on this demand and bring much needed tourism to local businesses which have struggled since the opening of the new motorway. Deputy Naughten added that in county Roscommon there is the Green Heartlands Cycle Route and the Suck Valley Way, which will tie-in directly with the N6 and this new project can be used to bring tourists to other parts of the county. "When I proposed the old N6 be developed for such a purpose to Minister Varadkar I suggested that this route be developed along the whole of the old N4/N6 between Dublin and Galway - creating Ireland's first inter-urban cycle/walk way," said Deputy Naughten. "This announcement is a major step forward in achieving this objective, with approval being granted for a further section between Tullamore and Moate providing the potential to extend this to Athlone either along the old N6 or the old Mullingar rail line." Deputy Naughten also acknowledged the work of Roscommon County Council and its officials in bringing this project to fruition. "Last year over 700,000 tourists participated in hiking and cross country walking, with many more cycling on Ireland's road network. We also see the way Mayo's Great Western Greenway cycle route has developed and a Dublin-Galway route would be an ideal pilot project to bring new life to communities throughout the centre of the country. Tourism during the boom years ignored inland counties and novel projects like this. With the vast majority of the infrastructure already in place projects like this have the potential to stimulate tourism in the less developed areas," added Deputy Naughten. Fine Gael's Deputy Frank Feighan also welcomed the funding, saying: "This exciting cycling route will be built over the next two to years as part of developing the National Cycle Network. Given the huge surge in activity holidays, this cycling route has huge tourism potential and I hope will lead to job creation. "This Roscommon project will enhance both the experience and attractiveness of cycling across the country. Apart from the obvious tourism potential, this is part of our efforts to create a more cycle-friendly culture across the country and to try and get as many people out of their cars and onto the bikes. Having high-quality routes across the country is a key part of that," he added. Labour Senator John Kelly said the funding will hugely contribute to raising the profile of cycling and cycling routes, both as an individual pastime and the promotion of tourism. The Ballaghaderreen-based Senator went on to remind people that National Bike Week commences next Saturday, June 16, with lots of cycling events being held across the country. Elsewhere in the Midlands, Westmeath County Council was granted €451,000 for an 11.3km cycle route along the Royal Canal from Boardstown Bridge eastbound towards Meath, with further potential to develop the entire extent of the canal town path within the county.