Cycle path as part of Cork Luas through church lands poses ‘risk’ to religious community

A religious community says that a cycle lane planned to run through its grounds as part of Luas Cork will adversely affect its elderly residents and be a safety risk to its parishioners.

The two-way cycle lane is included in plans published by the National Transport Authority (NTA), initially proposed as part of BusConnects, and now as part of the preferred route for Luas Cork.

The cycle lane would come down the Wilton Rd, cross the Carrigrohane Rd by the Crow’s Nest, and go through the green area by the Kingsley pedestrian bridge.

There, a new skew bridge would cross the River Lee’s south channel a few metres downstream of the Kingsley bridge, join a boardwalk along the northern riverbank, and then meet the grounds of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.

Skirting the religious community’s car park, it would cut across the order’s Heart Field, before exiting onto the Western Rd across from the Mardyke Walk.

Beside back window of infirmary

The missionaries say the cycle lane will enter its grounds beside the back window of the infirmary of its monastery building, negatively affecting elderly residents.

The community also says the cycle lane will pose safety risk to the locals who use its parish hall and car park.

There is an alternative, they say, in expanding a walkway that runs around the community’s grounds to include a cycleway.

That walkway begins at the Kingsley bridge and skirts the back of the Sacred Heart complex, joining the Western Rd by the Thomas Davis Bridge.

Fr John Fitzgerald is Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts director for the Irish province, and based in the Sacred Heart parish centre.

Fr Fitzgerald said the proposed cycle-path route would intrude on the monastery’s infirmary for elderly residents, and cause “huge health-and-safety problems” for the young children and older people using the parish centre.

“We are hoping, now that we are dealing with Luas, that the planned route of the cycle path through our property will be amended,” he said.

“We also want to ensure the safety of people using the entrance to our car park, which we feel will be obscured by the cycle path, so that we will have free entry into our own property, plus that we will have access to our sacred space in the Heart Field.”

A Luas Cork spokesperson said: “Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) is actively engaging with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart and (has) noted the concerns raised.

“These and all concerns will be considered during the design development process.”