Work on Kilcully safety scheme set to begin

A NORTHSIDE pedestrian safety scheme that has been held up for years is finally progressing, a Cork councillor has confirmed.

Cork City Council officials provided confirmation to Green Party councillor Oliver Moran that the council has appointed a valuer to progress land acquisition for the Kilcully pedestrian safety scheme. It follows a protest by the Kilcully and Ballincrokig Residents Association outside City Hall this month demanding action on the works and highlighting road traffic accidents in the area.

Since their protest, a motorcyclist was fatally injured in the area on Tuesday.

Council officials confirmed the appointment of Cushman & Wakefield as Cork City Council’s valuer, and that the process of contacting 22 landowners required to facilitate the work will now begin, with a preference to reach agreement with all landowners without a need for compulsory purchase orders, which would significantly delay construction.

In tandem, Cork City Council finalise the design and tender documents for the construction of the scheme, which consists of 1.5km of new footpaths, public lighting, a pedestrian bridge, and a raised pedestrian crossing.

Mr Moran said: “The area experienced another collision at the weekend.”

“Coming so close to the tragic accident during the week, it obviously scared many in the community. Confirmation now that a valuer has been appointed to engage with landowners is welcome news, but it’s only the beginning of a process. Reaching agreement with so many landowners at once won’t be easy but that process needs to begin in earnest.”

He added: “In the immediate term, Cork City Council needs to urgently locate traffic calming measures in the area.

“That was agreed by local councillors last week to be prioritised from the ward-level budget. It’s not the long-term solution the area needs but it is an immediate relief that can be put in place.”

Mr Moran told The Echo that the Local Area Committee “agreed in principle last Monday to provide budget for immediate traffic calming measures in Kilcully”, adding: “I am organising a meeting on behalf of the committee to finalise that with the relevant officials this week.”

Kilcully and Ballincrokig Residents Association chairperson Joan Lewis called for additional traffic calming measures.

Mr Moran added: “We also desperately need the RSA to release collision data so that we can effectively target these measures in the places they’re needed most. It’s not fair to place the burden of proof on a community when a state agency has the information but won’t release it.”