Street-light outage in area of Athlone leading to safety fears
Athlone councillor Aengus O'Rourke has voiced deep frustration at the authorities' failure to replace out-of-action street lighting in a canal-side area of town, saying this was causing increasing concern to locals.
Cllr O'Rourke said the lighting in question, along Athlone Canal at the back of The Park estate on the town's west side, had not been working since the beginning of the summer. He recently received reports of young women being made to feel unsafe while walking in this area after dark.
"For three months now, I have been pleading with the authorities and contractors to address this serious issue," he said.
"Despite my best efforts involving many, many hours of work; writing emails, making endless calls, and speaking to multiple people in authority, all the time getting nowhere, I am frustrated to the point of desperation.
"It appears that the Office of Public Works (OPW) disconnected the public lights in this area earlier on this summer. They did so without any clear plan to replace them or provide a temporary solution, which should never have happened.
"This section of roadway gets very dark at night time, with high trees, and for large parts there are no houses overlooking the road. Yet many people walk this route. The Big Meadow which is close by, is widely used by people for walking and recreation.
"In recent weeks I have informed the authorities of reports made to me of young women feeling unsafe while walking in this area after dark.
"As more youths seem to be congregating in the area and taking advantage of the cover that the lack of lighting is giving them, a rise in anti-social behaviour is a concern.
"In one case recently, two girls walking home from work from a local hospitality establishment were threatened and made feel very uncomfortable by a group of youths. Needless to say, they don't walk this road anymore.
"Only recently we had a case of a sexual assault in Athlone, which the Gardai are investigating. We need to stop at nothing to make sure that our streets are as safe as possible and that those using our streets feel safe doing so.
"Understandably, the locals are of the view that the authorities have neglected the area and have shown a distinct lack of respect for them. And I have to agree with them.
"For months now, I have repeatedly asked for lighting to be put in place, either temporary or permanent, but for some unknown reason neither the council or the OPW are taking responsibility for the matter or are willing to engage productively," he stated.
"They seem to be tone deaf to all our concerns and this is not good enough.
"For a basic service like lighting to be completely withdrawn from any part of Athlone town is not acceptable. This is only made worse when, for months, there seems to be a carelessness regarding its reinstatement!
"It's enough to make your blood boil," he added.
"I will not be making any more phone calls or sending any more emails to officials on this matter. I will instead be raising this matter at every council meeting going forward until a solution is firmly in place on the ground, and working properly."