Council to reduce traffic priority on six key routes into Athlone

Westmeath County Council looks set to proceed with plans to reduce the priority of vehicular traffic on six key approach roads into Athlone as part of its active travel programme.

The final monthly meeting of the Athlone Moate Municipal District's five-year term of office heard that €730,000 has been earmarked by the council for footpath and cycleway improvements on “six strategic routes” into Athlone town this year, from a total active travel allocation of €4 million for the whole county.

Westmeath County Council appointed consultants, Atkins, last August to prepare preliminary designs for some 15 kilometres of key access routes into Athlone to encourage more pedestrian and cycling usage under what is known as the Athlone Active Travel Scheme.

The scheme is part of the government's Pathfinder Programme which sets out plans to meet Ireland's requirement to achieve a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 in the transport sector.

Under the Pathfinder Programme, Westmeath County Council is planning to provide an active travel route from Baylough on the west side of the town (county boundary with Roscommon County Council) along the Old Galway Road/Old Dublin Road to Creggan on the eastern extremity of the town. The route is designed to build in connectivity with the Dublin-Galway Greenway at multiple locations and will provide walking and cycling facilities to key destinations in Athlone town including business, retail, residential, educational and leisure. It is also planned to have the route link in with the pedestrian/cycle bridge across the River Shannon as part of the Dublin-Galway Greenway.

The cycle corridor will also encompass the Technological University of the Shannon - Midlands (TUS), which has a significant student population, and which will be a hub location for Athlone’s new bike hire scheme.

Part 8 planning for the Pathfinder Project in Athlone is due to commence in Quarter 3 of this year, while the Part 8 planning for the remaining schemes is due to commence in Quarter 4.

However, while elected representatives agreed with the broad principle of active travel, a number of them expressed concerns about how a move towards more walking and cycling would affect commuters, particularly those in the older demographics.

“How are the people living on the N55 or the N62 going to get into town?" asked Cllr John Dolan “I can tell you one thing, I'm not going to cycle into town on the N55, I'd be taking my life into my hands”, while Cllr Frankie Keena said that, while “the whole idea of active travel is good” he said the council would have to cater for people of all demographics, including those who come into Athlone by car to do their shopping and other chores. “They can't bring their groceries home on the back of a bicycle,” he remarked.

Both Cllrs Keena and Dolan made their remarks on foot of a presentation to the May municipal meeting by Pat Nally, Senior Executive Engineer with the council's Active Travel Department. Mr. Nally said the council had received €4m in active travel funding this year, which he acknowledged was “not near enough” but he said the funding would be used to carry out works at a number of locations across the county.

“We are planning to provide segregated footpaths and cycleways on a number of routes into Athlone to encourage a move towards more active travel modes such as walking and cycling,” he explained, adding that the council had also written to over 90 schools across the county offering them free cycle racks and shelters. “We got 40 expressions of interest,” he said, “and we have supplied cycle racks and shelters to these schools.”

Cllr Frankie Keena asked Mr Nally how the council was proposing to segregate the roadway in areas where there were “already very narrow pinchpoints” and he pointed out that it was “very necessary to keep Athlone moving.”

Athlone Mayor and Green Party Cllr, Louise Heavin, interjected to remind councillors to confine their comments to the issue of active travel only, and said each member would be allowed five minutes speaking time, but Cllr Keena said members had been “a long time waiting” for an active travel report and he could talk “for at least ten minutes” on the topic.

Cllr Heavin said she would like to see more pedestrian crossings, particularly outside schools, and more discussion around the area of landscaping and the planting of more trees and “shading schemes” as part of active travel improvements.

Cllr Dolan said “segregation is the key” when it comes to active travel, and unless the system is safe for everyone, including pedestrians, motorists and cyclists “it won't be used, it's as simple as that”. Cllr Liam McDaniel wanted to know if there was any provision under active travel for members of the farming community. “How are they going to share rural roads with cyclists and pedestrians?” he asked.

The council's Active Travel Investment Programme report which was put before the May municipal meeting outlined details and contained 'before' and 'after' pictures of measures which have already been implemented in the district, including measures on Athlone's Love Lane and junction tightening in Ballymore and Ballinagore.