Preliminary design for pedestrian improvement scheme at Cork 'black spot' completed

Detailed design and the process to acquire land for a much-sought-after pedestrian improvement scheme in Kilcully is expected to take until mid-2025 before such work is completed.

The update on the Kilcully/Upper Glanmire Pedestrian Safety Scheme was provided to Independent Ireland councillor Ken O’Flynn, who submitted a written question ahead of a meeting of Cork City Council this week seeking an update on the proposed improvements.

The response said that plans for the Kilcully section of scheme are progressing, adding that the scheme will “improve the overall road safety in the area with particular benefits for vulnerable road users”.

Preliminary design is complete for the approved scheme, but detailed design is ongoing and is “scheduled to be finalised by mid-2025”.

Meanwhile, land acquisition is also being progressed with “expected completion by agreement in mid-2025”.

“As in other schemes, a CPO [Compulsory Purchase Order] process would be undertaken to secure the necessary lands if agreement cannot be reached with the affected landowners,” the response stated.

“On completion of the land acquisition process, the scheme will progress to tender and construction, subject to the usual funding approvals.”

In addition, the local authority said the Kilcully area has been recorded as an area to be “considered for future traffic management works or a road safety improvement scheme”.

No funding

“Currently there is no city council funding available for such works,” the response added.

“However, we will retain the project on a list for prioritisation for future roads programmes should funds be made available.”

Pedestrian and road safety improvements have long been sought for Kilcully, with residents staging a demonstration outside City Hall last April on the matter.

Speaking at the council meeting this week, Mr O’Flynn said Kilcully has been a “black spot for a number of years now”.

“What I’m asking now, is there a possibility to rush this or bring in some additional traffic-calming measures to alleviate the problems that are there in Kilcully at the moment?” he asked.

Responding to Mr O’Flynn, David Joyce, director of services in the city council’s roads and environment operations directorate, said: “In relation to the request for additional traffic calming, we will be going to the LAC [local area committee] members before the end of this year for ye to pick traffic calming locations for the 2025 road works programme, so any councillors that want that to be included in that programme can most certainly choose that location.”