‘Serious road concerns’ over pedestrian crossing in Waterford amid ‘safety hazards’
Cllr Donal Barry spoke on the subject at the May meeting of the Waterford Metropolitan District
There are “serious road concerns” over a pedestrian crossing in Waterford city amid a number of “safety hazards”, a council meeting has heard.
Independent councillor Donal Barry spoke on the subject at the May meeting of the Waterford Metropolitan District.
Cllr Barry said: “I want to raise serious road concerns again regarding the pedestrian crossing at the Golden Fry on the Inner Ring Road junction and the footpath at St. Lawrence’s Terrace in Lower Grange.
“This is not a new issue. They have already been formally reported several times and inspected by a council engineer, yet residents are now being told that they are tied into future Active Travel projects.
“That would mean years of waiting for works that are needed now.”
He went on to urge the council executive to take action on the issue before an accident occurs at one of the two locations.
“In the meantime, these safety hazards still exist for pedestrians, older residents, schoolchildren and people using these routes everyday and people using mobility scooters.
“My question is does the council still take responsibility for addressing safety defects in these locations while they remain in the Active Travel pipeline.
“From a public safety point of view, people should not have to wait years for basic safety improvements where hazards already exist.”
These sentiments were echoed by Sinn Féin councillor Joeanne Bailey who added that “the roundabout there is also in a bad way and the road needs serious attention”.
In response, Paul Johnston, Senior Engineer at Waterford City and County Council, does not have to wait for Active Travel schemes to carry out works at the two locations.
Mr Johnston said: “In relation to the pedestrian crossings that were mentioned, I gave the same reply last month, councillor.
“We’re not waiting for Active Travel schemes. If there is a hazard, whether it’s at a pedestrian crossing or a footpath or whatever, we can certainly look at progressing that.”
He concluded by reiterating that the council executive is not waiting on Active Travel schemes “to solve problems”.