Government refusing to fund maintenance of greenways

The Government is refusing to provide funding this year for maintaining greenways and active travel routes to eight cash-strapped municipal district councils, which has sparked a call to the local authority to suspend clean-up works on them.

As more and more of these facilities are being built in Co Cork, municipal districts are having to divert a significant amount of money from other resources to maintain them.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and the National Transport Authority (NTA) provide the cost for their construction and for a small period of maintenance after they’re completed. However, after that the burden falls on the municipal districts.

In foot of this the council wrote to minister for transport Daragh O’Brien asking him to provide the money on an annual basis for maintenance.

The reply the local authority received from Mr O’Brien’s private secretary Amanda Corley angered several councillors from across parties.

She wrote that the matter will be considered by department officials in the context of money available (to them) in 2027.

Ms Corley added “the minister appreciates and agrees that the maintenance of walking and cycling routes is an important matter”.

The uncertainty surrounding any positive outcome to the council’s request and the fact that no decision will be made until next year hasn’t gone down well.

The issue was first highlighted by Carrigaline-based Fine Gael councillor Una McCarthy who was not happy with the reply.

“I suggest if we’re not getting funding we should suspend maintenance on all of them,” added Cobh-based Independent councillor Ger Curley.

The Cobh municipal district has the biggest section of such facilities in the county at present.

Fine Gael councillor Anthony Barry, also from that district, said he can’t understand how the government doesn’t realise the “huge drain” on municipal resources trying to maintain them.

Kinsale-based Independent councillor Alan Coleman said he wasn’t holding out much hope as TII isn’t providing enough maintenance funding for national secondary roads in the county.

He described it as “appalling” that the government expects the council to pay.

“We just can’t expect them to mind themselves. There has to be an effective funding stream,” Mr Coleman said.

Sinead Sheppard, another Fine Gael councillor based in Cobh, said the maintenance of the cycleway in Glounthaune is a major concern for locals.

“It’s getting completely overgrown and it’s not fair on the residents who have to look at it on a daily basis. Our offices don’t have the budget. We want to put greenways everywhere but don’t have the funding for their upkeep,” she said.